Crime,
capital punishment and mercy
Melanie Morrison ; The
writer has a post-graduate degree in Indonesian studies.
She produced The Condemned — the first TV current affairs
story on Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan for SBS TV, and is a member of the Australia
Indonesia Association
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JAKARTA
POST, 03 Februari 2015
The words “I stand for mercy” echoed through the
amphitheatre of Sydney’s Martin Place on Jan. 29 as hundreds of people
gathered for a candlelight vigil and concert to call for mercy for two
Australians now facing execution in Indonesia.
It was a solemn occasion, but not without hope, as the
crowd lit candles in a show of support for Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan
and their families. The duo were arrested in Bali in 2005 for their role in
smuggling heroine through Indonesia to Australia. They have been on death row
ever since.
Artist Ben Quilty, who brought together some of the finest
names in Australia for the concert, has come to know and admire both Chan and
Sukumaran through his regular visits to Bali’s Kerobokan prison, where he has
been mentoring Sukumaran in painting techniques.
A tearful Quilty spoke about his recent visit to the
prison and how he prayed it would not be his last. The hopes of Quilty and
other supporters are, however, fading fast as it has become increasingly
clear that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, after rejecting their pleas for
clemency, is refusing to bow to international pressure.
In a chilling statement Quilty said that all he wanted to
do was show how these young men had transformed. They were better people
doing good things.
“If all I do for Myuran is humanize him one little bit and
make people realize that he is a rehabilitated man, he is my friend, and he
is a good human being 10 years after making a very self-indulgent mistake.
Then he can go, in the middle of the night, and be shot in the chest by eight
bullets with some dignity and he knows that there are people here walking
with him.”
No one doubts the seriousness of their crime. Yet their
crime and their transformation and their very right to life have become tangled
in a web of complex legal, political and emotive arguments. Not least, the
issue has unleashed a wave of populist nationalism in Indonesia and
accusations of double standards on both sides.
No country likes to be “bullied” or coerced by other nations.
And with the vast majority of Indonesians supporting these executions and the
President’s own belief that execution of drug traffickers will solve what he
refers to as Indonesia’s “drug emergency”, Jokowi has become even more
uncompromising in his pro-death penalty stance.
This is despite the fact that there is little proof that
execution acts as a deterrent to drug addiction. It is also despite the fact
that the men have reformed and acknowledgement of reform and rehabilitation
is even enshrined in Indonesian law.
Arguments about the reform of Chan and Sukumaran seem to
have fallen on deaf ears as there is a great deal of skepticism regarding a
drug traffickers’ ability to rehabilitate. As someone who has met these young
men and spoken to the prison guards, I know that their transformation is real
and it is profound.
In 2010, the then head of the prison, Siswanto, even
testified on their behalf. “It is not a camouflage act […] my spirit asks,
can’t they be pardoned?” he told the court after listing the ways they have
helped others in the prison.
It is, indeed, a bitter irony that the Indonesian prison
system and the opportunities they have been given in Kerobokan have
contributed greatly to their rehabilitation. Yet this is only meaningful if
Chan and Sukumaran are allowed to live and continue their good work behind
bars.
A leading Catholic theologian in Indonesia, Franz
Magnis-Suseno, wrote in Kompas recently, that Indonesia was right not to pay
too much heed to foreign pressure over executions. But, taking into account
issues of morality, Indonesia should abolish the death penalty for the sake
of the country’s own dignity.
This dignity and compassion will to come too late to save
the lives of those currently on death row, including Chan and Sukumaran.
Should last-ditch legal efforts fail, they are likely to be part of the next
batch to face the firing squad.
In a heartbreaking letter written by Sukumaran and read by
actor David Wenham at Thursday’s vigil, Sukumaran acknowledged a fate that he
has dreaded for 10 years.
“And whatever happens, I know that me and Andrew are good
people now, and that even though we’ve been in prison with a death sentence
we have been truly blessed; blessed to have beautiful family and friends,
blessed to have received so much compassion. And as we face what’s coming, we
thank everyone who has supported us. There is no words for this kindness.”
But while there is life, there is still hope. And because
of this, supporters will continue to “stand for mercy”. ●
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