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EDITORIAL: Ruthless fight against drugs
Handing drug barons a life sentence only shifts their operations to behind bars in the corrupt prison system, advocates of the death penalty for drug abusers say.
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Two men inspect packages containing marijuana in a minivan in Pepelah village in Gayo Lues regency, Aceh, on Thursday. The seizure had been made by personnel of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and the Indonesian Army. (Courtesy of Iskandar Muda Military Command/File)
O
ne of the latest drug convicts is a man from West Kalimantan who grew cannabis to ease the pains of his wife, who suffered from a rare spinal disease. Yenni Riawati eventually died, and her husband Fidelis Arie Sudewarto was sentenced Wednesday to eight months in jail for violating the Narcotics Law. The prosecutor had demanded five months in jail and a fine of Rp 800 million, but the judges at the Sanggau District Court ordered Fidelis to pay Rp 1 billion apart from imprisonment.
Like in most countries, marijuana is illegal here even for medicinal use; Australia just legalized cannabis for medication in February for chronically sick and severely ill people. Fidelis’ motive of reducing his wife’s pain with cannabis oil was the basis of the lighter sentence demanded by prosecutors.
What is even more worrying about the Fidelis case, beyond the lack of options for those living with unbearable pain, is the attitude of law enforcers, who may increasingly march lockstep in the war on drugs under President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. The chiefs of the police and the narcotics agency have expressed support for Jokowi’s cry to shoot “drug pushers” sight if necessary, regardless, it seems, of whether they are suspects who should be first arrested and tried in court.
Despite international outcry over the execution of drug convicts, Jokowi and his trigger-happy aides have apparently become even more convinced of harsh drug policies following the controversial measures of President Rodrigo Duterte. The Philippine leader has defended himself against allegations of scores of extrajudicial killings of drug suspects. Indonesian Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian has told police officers “not to hesitate to shoot drug dealers who resist arrest.”
That judges gave Fidelis a harsher sentence than prosecutors had demanded is the latest sign of law enforcers enthusiastically taking up Jokowi’s tough policies.
The enthusiasm is unlikely to wane, despite the state’s own warnings of caution. Last week, the Indonesian Ombudsman confirmed allegations of wrong decisions concerning the execution of drug convicts. The Ombudsman concluded “maladministration” in last year’s execution of Nigerian Humphrey Jefferson Ejike Eleweke, as he was still seeking presidential clemency.
Jokowi often calls the state of drug abuse an “emergency,” winning wide support from people deeply nervous over the exposure of the young to drug addiction. This includes reports of sinister marketing methods of drug pushers in the form of colorful candy.
Handing drug barons a life sentence only shifts their operations to behind bars in the corrupt prison system, advocates of the death penalty for drug abusers say.
Indonesians generally remain unconvinced by evidence in several countries where the death penalty has not deterred crime; hence the support for both the death sentence and swift “justice” for alleged drug abusers.
Authorities cite porous borders and poor law enforcement as factors encouraging drug trafficking. However, killing the wrong people through legal shortcuts is both an ineffective and reckless way to address drug crime, compared to eradicating corruption in the judiciary and other efforts to prevent drug abuse.
