This was published 9 years ago
No second chance for Bali Nine member Myuran Sukumaran, says Indonesian president Joko Widodo
By Michael Bachelard and Karuni Rompies
Indonesian president Joko Widodo has insisted there will be no second chances for Australian death row convict Myuran Sukumaran despite his repentance and rehabilitation.
The president, elected amid high hopes that he would be a human rights champion, on Wednesday rejected Sukumaran's clemency bid, then told Fairfax Media on Thursday that the Australian would be given "no second chance".
"Fifty people [in Indonesia] are killed every day because of drugs — they [the dead people] can't be rehabilitated," the president said.
But, despite his recent decision, dated December 30, to reject clemency for Sukumaran, Mr Joko seemed ignorant of the young man's specific circumstances.
'No second chances': Indonesian President Joko Widodo.Credit: Bloomberg
When asked why he had been so hardline when the Bali Nine were taking drugs out of the country, not bringing them in, Mr Joko replied: "Says who that he was taking them out?"
The Bali Nine plot of April, 2005, involved couriers exporting 8.2kg of heroin from Bali to Australia. Sukumaran was caught in a hotel room, while others were at Bali airport.
Mr Joko said: "I did not hand down the death sentence. My obligation is to decide on clemency, and I won't grand clemency to drugs convicts".
Asked if there would be any second chances, he answered: "No".
Likely to face the firing squad: Myuran Sukumaran. Credit: Anta Kesume
The president's comments will fill Andrew Chan, the other Bali Nine drug smuggler on death row, with horror, in anticipation that his own clemency application will also be rejected, despite his rehabilitation.
In a powerful personal plea given to Fairfax Media on Wednesday, Mr Sukumaran said: "I've been walking around feeling like someone's punched me in the stomach. Is there no such thing as rehabilitation??? Can't someone change???? … What use will executing us be?"
Sukumaran's Indonesian lawyer, well known human rights practitioner Todung Mulya Lubis, worked to help get Mr Joko elected last October, but says the president "needs to know more about human rights; about the whole paradigm of rights and sentences".
Mr Mulya said the death penalty was driven by notions of revenge and retribution, which was "old school criminology".
"People should be given a chance to correct their mistakes; to be a better person, and that's why it's a human rights concern. [Myuran] has the right to live … The prevailing school of criminology is to rehabilitate people; to give them a chance to be a better person, and I believe that Sukumaran is doing that."
During his time in prison, Sukumaran has learned to paint and has set up and run a fully equipped art room used by dozens of prisoners. He has established a t-shirt printing factory which helps fund the art room and also a computer room to teach skills to inmates.
Chan has become deeply involved with the prison church.
"Myuran has changed a lot," Mr Mulya said, "he should be given a chance".
But, despite his help on the presidential campaign, Mr Mulya said he was not part of Mr Joko's government.
"I'll do whatever I can, but I'm not personally in touch with him."