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RI will never bow to Australia, says analyst
An international law analyst has slammed Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott for what the former says is the politicization of Australiaâs post-tsunami aid to Indonesia, so that two Australians facing death row execution in Nusakambangan, Central Java, can be saved
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n international law analyst has slammed Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott for what the former says is the politicization of Australia's post-tsunami aid to Indonesia, so that two Australians facing death row execution in Nusakambangan, Central Java, can be saved.
Hikmahanto Juwana of the University of Indonesia stressed on Thursday
that aid given by Australia to tsunami victims in Aceh in the past would never make Indonesia dependent on Australia, but was being used as political leverage to press the Indonesian government to not execute the two Australian convicts.
'Tony Abbott's recent statement is regrettable,' Hikmanhanto said as reported by Antara news agency.
Australian media outlets recently reported that Abbott had called on the Indonesian government not to forget all the aid given by Australia to Aceh during and after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed thousands of Acehnese. He hoped Indonesia would cancel the executions in its response to Australia's assistance.
Previously, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop also criticized the Indonesian government's double-standard policy, which she said made every effort to save its citizens facing death row overseas, despite pushing ahead with executing foreign criminals at home.
The two drug Australian convicts have been moved from Kerobokan prison to a prison in Nusakambangan before facing a firing squad in the near future.
Hikmahanto said Abbott gave the impression that Indonesia was dependent on Australia because of tsunami aid given.
'The humanitarian relief was given to make Indonesia dependent on Australia and at present, Australia is using this dependency to save the two Australians, but Indonesia will never depend on Australia,' he said, adding that Abbott's statement would create a bad public image of Australia in Indonesia.
Hikmahanto added, however, that Abbott had made the controversial statement as a last ditch effort to save the two Australians, as well as to show to his party and the Australian people that he was working tirelessly to protect Australians overseas.
Abbott had previously threatened to boycott Indonesia and ban Australians from visiting Indonesia, especially Bali.
President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly and Attorney General HM Prasetyo have recently insisted that despite increasing calls from the UN and foreign countries for Indonesia not to proceed with the executions, the government would still execute the 11 death row convicts, eight of whom were foreigners sentenced to death for drug trafficking.(rms)
