[Corrected
at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, April 27, 2015, to reflect that Hikmahanto Juwana is a
professor of international law, not international relations]
Jakarta. For
the sake of proving that nobody can interfere with Indonesian sovereignty,
the government should ignore the growing global outcry and push ahead with the
execution of drug convicts on death row, an outspoken international
law professor from the nation’s top university said on Monday.
Hikmahanto
Juwana said Indonesia is currently in the spotlight, after hosting the 60th
commemoration of the Asian-African Conference, and has to show that it
is not only willing to talk the talk, but also to walk the walk.
“The
principle of non-intervention in Asian and African countries as outlined in the
Dasa Sila [results of the first Bandung Conference in 1955] is still relevant
today, including when Indonesia carries out the death penalty,” Hikmahanto said
in a press release, adding that if the government bows out now, the nation will
become a global laughing stock.
Indonesia
is set to execute nine people, possibly as soon as Tuesday, for drug offenses. Eight
out of nine are foreign nationals. A tenth convict, Frenchman Serge Atlaoui,
has been granted a temporary reprieve due to an outstanding legal matter.
Just
for show
Besides
opposition to the death penalty in principle, the international criticism
generally centers on alleged irregularities in the Indonesian justice
system.
France
has been among the harshest critics of the pending killings, with its foreign
minister speaking of “serious dysfunction” in the legal system.
The
Australian government, too, has consistently raised its objection against the
execution of two of its nationals, ‘Bali Nine’ ringleaders Andrew Chan and
Myuran Sukumaran.
Indonesian
relations with Brazil are at a low, with the president of the Latin-American
powerhouse refusing to accept the credentials of a new Indonesian ambassador. Brazilian
national Marco Archer was executed for drug offenses in January and another
Brazilian, Rodrigo Gularte — diagnosed with a mental illness — is set to face
the firing squad this week.
But
according to Hikmahanto, a professor at the University of Indonesia (UI), the
governments of France and Australia are merely protesting because their voters
expect them to, and that everything will be fine once the executions are over.
“No
foreign government dares to put good and mutually profitable relations at stake
to defend a national who committed a crime,” Hikmahanto said.
He
added that domestic political considerations also play a role in the stance of
countries like Australia and France, and that the Australians were not nearly
as outspoken against China as they have been against Indonesia.
“Late
last May, China executed an Australian citizen, but Australia didn’t exert
pressure [on China] like it is on Indonesia,” the professor said.
Ban
Ki-moon gets an earful
Hikmahanto
also criticized Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general of the United Nations, for
calling on President Joko Widodo to cancel the pending executions.
According
to Hikmahanto, the UN chief had no business giving orders like a head of state.
Ban’s
spokesman said in a statement on Saturday that “if the death penalty is to be
used at all, it should only be imposed for the most serious crimes, namely
those involving intentional killing, and only with appropriate safeguards.”
“Drug-related
offenses generally are not considered to fall under the category of ‘most
serious crimes’,” the spokesman added, as reported by Reuters.
But
according to Hikmahanto the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights clearly allows states to decide what qualifies as a serious crime, and
it doesn’t exclude drug-related offenses.
“The
Indonesian also have to right to ask why there was not statement from
the UN secretary-general recently when two Indonesian domestic workers
were executed in Saudi Arabia,” Hikmahanto said.
Also,
the international law expert said it was strange that Ban took issue
with the death penalty in Indonesia while his own country, South Korea,
continues to use it.
“When
we look at Ban Ki-moon’s statement, don’t be surprised if President Jokowi says
the UN doesn’t reflect the interests of Asian and African nations,” Hikmahanto
said. “The interests and voices represented are those of the European nations,
Australia and America. It’s understandable if Jokowi questions the universality
of the UN.”
Joko
called for reform in a speech at the Asian-African Conference in Jakarta last
week, saying that the UN and the world’s leading financial institutions were
responsible for Western-leaning imbalance of global economic and political
power.
President
Joko Widodo shouts ‘Merdeka,’ or Freedom, at the end of his speech, during his
inauguration at the House of Representatives building in Jakarta on Oct. 20,
2014. (Reuters Photo/Darren Whiteside)
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário