Chan and Sukamaran

Unless you've been living under a rock, you would know that this week, eight, yes, eight - not two, men were executed this week in Indonesia.  Two of those were, quite infamously now, Australians  Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukamaran.  Opinions on the executions have quite divided our country based on whether you Pray for Mercy, or believe they got the punishment that was coming to them.  I don't believe it's that simple.  I've seen comments that those of us who didn't support the endless candle lit vigils and barrage of support and pleas from politicians and celebrities alike lack compassion and are the saddest examples of humanity.  I take offense to that.  I respect the opinions of those in support of saving lives.  I admire those who take a stance in what they believe in, particularly when done with a good heart and kind intentions.  Still, I can't condone the way this issue has been dealt with by our country.

Here is why.  

• Have you heard of Van Tuong Nguyen?  Unlikely.  He was a 25 year old Australian, hanged in Singapore in 2005 for attempting to traffic 396 grams of heroin from Vietnam to Australia via Singapore.  It was his first offense.  Three years after his arrest, he was hanged by the neck until he was dead.  396 grams.  Between them, the 'Bali Nine' carried over 8 kilograms of heroin.  8 kilograms.  Think about that for a moment.  Where is the media coverage for Nguyen?  The national support.  The outcry against Singapore?  The #boycottsingapore campaign.  The videos of celebrities pleading for him to be saved?  The outrage that Singapore could be so barbaric as to murder a young man?  Non-existent, that's where.  Hypocrisy. 

• I don't know the full political repercussions and don't claim to, but I don't believe it is as simple as telling another country to give a reprieve to Australian citizens because we don't believe in their punishments, that we believe they have rehabilitated themselves.  There must be massive consequences when we ask to make a deal like this.  As for the cries of "but we sent millions in aide when the tsunami happened" - did we do that as an advance payment for Australians to be given special treatment and not punished to the extent of Indonesian law or because we do have compassion and goodwill to other nations?  To withdraw this kind of assistance now would just bring us down to a level I don't wish to be associated with.  Humanitarian efforts shouldn't have conditions.

• As for the #boycottbali campaign, I completely respect anyone's right to travel to wherever they choose.  However, if you choose to boycott Bali, please research the countries you do travel to.  Are you going to Malaysia instead?  They hung two Australians by the neck until they were dead for drug trafficking offenses also.  China?  An Australian is also on death row there right now.  Thailand?  Death penalty.  The USA?  Death penalty.  Let's not turn this into a trendy 'stand' we make, but truly make your convictions and stand by them.  

• Are these men victims of Indonesia's corrupt judicial system?  Of the AFP?  Of our lack of power in negotiating with other countries?  I don't know.  Are they victims of the drug trade?  Absolutely.  Will their deaths cause other young people to think again before attempting to make a quick buck by dealing in drugs in any way?  I sincerely hope so.  I take no pleasure in the waste of life, I see no cause to celebrate their deaths - but I do hope they are not in vain.  That this awful situation helps to educate young people that - not just in the case of drugs - whenever you are in another country, you are at the mercy of their laws and punishments.  There are severe consequences for your behaviour.  That you can have the support of our Prime Minister and many others, but that counts for absolutely nothing.  Yes, everyone makes mistakes, particularly when we are young.  I only hope that our young people are becoming more educated about making these mistakes on foreign shores.

• The medias treatment of the two Australian men and their families disgusts me.  The rolling coverage of the executions, the hero worship - completely inappropriate.  If they behaved with dignity at the end, great.  All I could think of at these reports was that I bet whoever is haggling for the rights to the telemovie was rubbing their hands together at what a moving final scene it would make, the eight prisoners staring down their executioners while singing hymns.  Chan and Sukamaran are not heroes nor role models.  They are drug traffickers who were caught.  Yes, they were claimed to have rehabilitated themselves whilst in prison.  I hope they did some good for others during this time, but it does not change the fact that they were convicted criminals who have been treated as national heroes in the most inappropriate manner.  Yes, let us learn from their mistake.  Let them be an example and a warning to others.  Don't exploit their families trauma for a click on a news site or the sale of a newspaper.  Don't make them out to be innocent victims to back your cause or gain votes.  Don't judge me as heartless and having no compassion because I chose not to light a candle nor beg for their lives to be saved.