"There
but for the grace of God go you or I".
Today, Andrew Chan & Myuran Sukumaran have been moved from their Bali prison to the place of their
execution.
I
know the devastation that drugs cause. And, no one denies that these two young
men led a life of crime. No one denies that dealing in drugs should never be
condoned and that people who do must be punished. No one denies that in this
country of ours we are far too soft on drug dealers. No one denies that
Andrew & Myuran knew the risks they were taking but teenagers & those
in their early twenties never think they will get caught. That is not meant to
condone their crime merely recognise the reality. But is execution befitting
the crime when terrorist murderers are set free after pathetically inadequate
sentences? After serving 10-years in jail to murder (yes murder) these two
young men now smacks of vengeance particularly when their exemplary behaviour
is completely disregarded by a new President out to make a name for himself.
The
case of Myuran and Andrew is made worse given our own AFP delivered them into
the hands of the Indonesian authorities knowing their possible fate should they
be caught. After all they were not dealing drugs in Indonesia. They were
bringing the drugs back here and they should have been arrested charged and
jailed here. The irony is, had they been, they probably would simply have
continued to offend.
As for those who say Andrew and Myuran were the ringleaders. Rubbish. They were NOT the drug barons. Andrew and Myuran didn't live in multimillion dollar mansions. They didn't drive around in exotic sports cars. They don't hide behind the veils of respectability. The drug barons do and they are also protected by those who so easily snuff out the lives of expendable people like Andrew and Myuran.
Hundreds
and hundreds of people are arrested and jailed. Most just keep offending. But
Andrew & Myuran faced with an uncertain future (sentenced to death 10-years
ago) made a decision to try and do something positive with their lives. They
were encouraged by the prison Governor who had long held the conviction of
rehabilitation so that prisoners didn't stay on the spiral of a continual life
in jail.
Myuran
turned to art and has become an accomplished artist. He in turn has taught
others and helped them to recognise that there is more to life than a life of
crime. More importantly, helped others to help prepare them for their release.
Andrew turned to religion and is now an ordained Christian minister. He also
has helped to rehabilitate his fellow prisoners. Both have gained the
admiration of the Governor and their fellow cellmates.
So
it is with heavy heart to learn today that Myuran and Andrew have commenced
their final journey. To those who are cheering the Indonesians on, I
would ask two questions; how blameless are you. Have you NEVER done anything in
your life that you deeply regret? And what have YOU done to improve the lives
of others?
To
those like me who believe you should be given a second chance when you prove to
society you deserve it, let’s send our prayers to Andrew, Myuran and their
families and let's pray their new found faith can sustain them through this
dreadful and barbaric ordeal.
And,
let's always remember, those who have fallen, picked themselves up and
dedicated their lives to helping others (even from a jail cell) have proven
themselves much more worthy of our admiration and our compassion, than those who
have no forgiveness in their hearts.
