*Pic: Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran behind bars in Bali cell …
Joko Widodo, Indonesia’s new President, has said that he will not rescind the death sentence on convicted drug smugglers but will uphold Indonesia’s death penalty for this crime; he says 18,000 people per year die as a result of taking illegal drugs.
It could be said that those who make, peddle and smuggle harmful drugs deserve penalties such as imprisonment, in order to reform their characters; however, using the deaths of drug smugglers in order to gain political advantage is the ultimate hypocrisy, given the deaths caused by the Indonesian government itself.
Up to the present time, around 50,000 West Papuan people have been killed by Indonesian soldiers.
If the Indonesian government really cared about unnecessary deaths of thousands of people, it would prevent the ongoing killings of West Papuan people that have been perpetrated every year since Indonesia invaded that country.
Last year a small group of West Papuans had to flee for their lives as the Indonesian forces were hunting them down for the “crime” of raising the West Papuan flag. Mr. Widodo cannot stand on high moral ground until he rectifies the situation in West Papua and prevents these atrocities.
The Australian federal government was not blameless in this incident either, as it refused to give sanctuary to the fugitives. The Australian government also gives training and millions of dollars of funding to the Indonesian military economy: I have not heard that our Prime Minister has put a stop to this extravagance, despite his cuts to education, health care, and other social support systems here in Australia. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Those countries that wish to save their citizens who are on death row in Indonesia should not only address the wanton killings of West Papuans by Indonesian military; they should also support the campaigns against the death penalty around the world. China kills thousands of Chinese nationals for minor crimes, and has been sterilising and killing the Tibetan people for years. The USA also kills people for some crimes, and has in the past killed people who have later been proven innocent by the new techniques of genetic evidence.
Governments of countries are penalising the real criminals
As far as drugs of addiction are concerned, the governments of all countries are not penalising the real criminals, the “Mister Bigs” behind this death industry. The illegal drugs trade in the USA, for example, is so entrenched in the monetary and political system, that it actually lessened the impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the US economy. Ex-CIA agent, Victor Marchetti has revealed that the United States has used drugs networks in its attempts to expand its influences around the world. The corruption reaches as far as the White House.
Andrew Gavin Marshall described the mechanics of the upper echelons of the drugs and investment markets in “The Global Banking ‘Super-Entity’ Drug Cartel: The ‘Free Market’ of Finance Capital. He said:: “The world’s major banks all own each other and own the controlling shares in the world’s largest multinational corporations, influence governments and policy with politicians in their back pockets, routinely engaging in fraud and bribery, and launder hundreds of billions of dollars in drug money, not to mention arms dealing and terrorist financing.
These are the ‘too big to fail’ and ‘too big to jail’ banks, the centre of our global economy, what we call a ‘free market,’ implying that the global banks – and corporations – have ‘free reign’ to do anything they please, engage in blatantly criminal activities, steal trillions in wealth which is hidden offshore, and never get more than a slap on the wrist. This is the real ‘free market,’ a highly profitable global banking cartel, functioning as a worldwide financial Mafia.”
If we are to save the next generation from the scourge of “ice” and other “designer drugs”, we need to look further than the young and stupid who are persuaded to be mules (carriers for small amounts of drugs).
The truth is in plain sight for those who wish to see: the corruption in high places.
(1) http://rpdefense.over-blog.com/article-damen-schelde-naval-shipbuilding-and-indonesia-sign-contract-for-sigma-10514-guided-missile-frigate-106464321.html
(2) http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2011/10/123_96458.html
(3) http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/19/us-asia-summit-f-idUSTRE7AI04V20111119
(4) http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/archive/indonesia-signs-114m-deal-to-buy-russian-tanks/517338/
(5) http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htproc/articles/20120323.aspx
*Gillian Blair …
