Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Comments on the death penalty and current state of play



The pressures facing President Joko Widodo:



In regards the current direction of Indonesia, the omens are not good. Jokowi's problems are not just about picking a corrupt police chief or emasculating the KPK; bigger politics is at play. I (and others) remain concerned about Chinese territorial encroachment. This is not helped by the push from the USA, in which Australia is seen as complicit because of the positioning of a permanent Naval base (ala Subic Bay) in Darwin. Everyone is playing with fire at the moment, just look at the Ukraine. The last thing we want is to escalate conflict into WW3, especially our simmering regional conflicts. If Indonesia allows itself to be drawn, it will make itself a plum target.



In regards the political show, Megawati is running scared. For sure the KPK will deepen and speed up its enquiry into BLBI corruption. This will force her evermore into a corner. Golkar /PPP still have leadership problems and the onset of increased TNI involvement is there for all to see. 

Colin Singer


Religious intolerance:



While he did many good things, SBY stood by and let religious tolerance be ripped to shreds. Will President Jokowi be any different? I truly hope so.



I feel these are very dangerous times for Indonesia and our region. Jokowi is showing all the signs of being rendered lame and is being undermined from his own people. The instability is palpable.

Ross Taylor

Executions:


Jokowi continues to dash any optimism I had about his newly appointed

leadership. I thought he was more astute.  As far as the Sukamarun and Chan matter

goes, the case of the drug kingpin with the commuted sentence makes an absolute mockery of these executions.  You can bet too, when this Javanese drug kingpin slips out of prison in a couple of years he will be straight back to the vice, in fact he's probably running his business from jail now. Whereas Sukamaran and Chan I'll bet just want to go home and reboot simple lives and repay their family for the grief they've caused.



The Indonesians could do well to tackle the rampant vice and extortion rackets going on by Balinese organised crime games in bali's Kuta, turban, Legian,Seminyak  precincts just a few kilometres from the walls of Kerobokan jail.

Neil Robinson


There is absolutely no doubt about two aspects of all this:



1.  The AFP will have blood on its hands - and their role and reason has not been totally transparent thus far,



2. Whatever the outcome, the overall Aus-Indo Relationship will inevitably be affected negatively.

Graham Hornel 

Published comments in media:


To execute 2 Australian citizens after having been in jail for 10 years for a crime that would have seen them if rehabilitated back in society in Australia will be viewed as barbaric and insulting not only in Australia but the whole civilised world. 




Who did these two work for? These drugs would have originated outside of Indonesia so how did they get to Bali? Why did the AFP have to inform local Balinesse police? When did murder become right



The Indonesian prison system is corrupt and it's said to be very easy to get hard drugs in prison. In my opinion, these two have lived a positive, drug free existence, for ten years with drugs available around them. I believe they are reformed. But whatever, Jododo, or whatever his name is, is going to shoot them for political points with the anti-foreigner brigade.



It's a pity, really, that Australia didn't try spending money to save them as Indonesia is being accused of doing. But let's face it, this pair of photogenic goons, for all their sentimental natures, aren't poster boys for a boy scout holiday.  


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