FROM the time the members of the Bali 9 were caught trying to import 8-9 kilograms of heroin into Australia, my sentiments have consistently been they deserved the sentences they were given by the Indonesia court, even the death penalty to the ringleaders.
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Had they been successful in landing those drugs in Australia, the ramifications of the misery and suffering wrought on Australian drug addicts and others would have been horrendous.
However, earlier this year I had the fortune to see and hear federal politician Tanya Plibersek speak in parliament about her very personal story with a drug addict and trafficker who had served time in jail, had been reformed and had subsequently become her husband and father to their children.
It was so moving I had a change of heart.
From that point on I firmly believed both Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran had been reformed over the 10 years they had spent in Korobokan gaol.
Now we have the news that both Chan and Sukumaran have been murdered in cold blood, along with six other prisoners.
Indonesian President Widoko has ignored all the pleas for clemency and stated that he is carrying out the will of his people.
Eminent QC Geoffrey Robertson suggests that as a result of Mr Widodo’s actions, we should immediately cut our Australian foreign aid to Indonesia of $600 million back to $300 million and the other $300 million should be redirected to Nepal.
I totally agree with that.
In fact for the next 10 years our foreign aid contribution to Indonesia should be zero dollars and that which would have gone to them is redirected to other needy nations.
After that 10 years period, then maybe we could resume giving some foreign aid to Indonesia again.
— MICHAEL RANDALL,
Albury
