Those against the death penalty may be right. Offer the public the option of capital punishments over life sentences and many would accept, including those who in the past may have supported the death penalty.
People say this approach is worth trying, rather than taking even more lives.
Studies in the United States point to the fact support for the death penalty is declining. After a number of prisoners on death row were released, the state of Illinois issued a moratorium on the death penalty in 2000, its governor citing shock over the fact that the state nearly executed innocent people.
Criminals are spending more time on death row these days, studies indicate, among others due to the fact appeal processes are becoming more detailed.
Research has also pointed toward the fact the existence of the death penalty in many countries has not contributed to a downturn in crime.
In contrast, head of the Indonesian anti drug agency Comr. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika has said, ""even the death penalty cannot deter drug dealers, so imagine if there was no death penalty.""
Those against the death penalty may argue that therein lies the logic: if the death penalty fails to deter people from committing crimes, why not just hand down a life sentence or long jail terms instead?
On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court upheld the legitimacy of the death penalty in its response to a request for a judicial review made by death-row drug convicts.
Court president Jimly Asshidiqie said the death penalty as punishment for committing narcotics crimes did not violate the ""right to life"" detailed in the 1945 Constitution, as the plaintiffs had argued.
He said selling drugs was a very serious crime that was, ""affecting the economic, cultural and political foundations of society.""
However, as much as we would like to argue against the death penalty as punishment for committing any crime, many cases around us do not make for an easy campaign.
The survivors of a series of bombings in the country, as well as the relatives of victims, are not content with the way the perpetrators have been handed.
They wonder why the bombers have not yet been executed, and why they are enjoying public exposure during their long stay on death row. They also wonder why they are allowed to continue smiling and why they are allowed to shout ""Allahu Akbar! (God is great) during prayer sessions in prison.
Relatives of those who have died from drug overdoses often try to seek revenge, attempting to hurt or kill the people they think are responsible for the death of their loved ones.
Muslims say the penalty for causing someone to die is revealed in the Koran -- although a closer read reveals just as much caution on its implementation as the verse taken to endorse polygamy.
Given the support for the death penalty here, at this stage we would urge authorities to implement tighter law enforcement to avoid adding to the high number of people already on death row.
An American researcher concerned with the death penalty issue, James Liebman, argued that this approach would only be effective with constant and tight monitoring carried out by highly competent and well-trained defense lawyers. Clearly, such an approach would be expensive.
On top of this, many who have lost loved ones to crime say the death penalty does not relieve their pain.
However, some victims of heinous crimes, including acts of terrorism and drug abuse, say they have faith in the system and hope a death sentence will be handed down to whoever is responsible for their loss.
A long-term campaign would be needed to dissect and debate all the arguments involving this emotive issue.
In the meantime, we are among those who feel they must welcome this week's verdict.
The verdict also came with recommendations to establish more specific guidelines on who could be handed the death sentence. For example, distributors and producers of drugs could receive the death penalty, but not users.
But we are still left with the issue of how to tighten law enforcement in a country full of corrupt halls of justice.
Those with experience say money buys verdicts. In light of this, would it not be better to emulate Illinois and declare a moratorium on the death penalty, at least until we could declare our courts clean?
But try telling this to bombing survivors or parents who have lost their children to drugs.
