Imagine every day we have 50 people die because of narcotics, because of drugs. In one year, it's 18,000 people who die because of narcotics. And we are not going to compromise for drug dealers. No compromise. No compromise. The decision of death penalty is on the court. But they can ask for amnesty to the president. But I tell you, there will be no amnesty for drug dealers.- Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the president of Indonesia
The current
President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo deserved the Rayner Goddard Act of Courage Award, he
defended the
use of the death penalty. We, the comrades of Unit 1012, advise the
Head of States to learn from Widodo on how he defended the use of capital
punishment.
 |
|
Joko
"Jokowi" Widodo, the president of Indonesia
|
INTERNET
SOURCE: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/03/indonesian-president-steadfast-executions-150306132347488.html
Indonesian
president steadfast on executions
Joko Widodo defends his decision to reject clemency for foreign drug smugglers in exclusive interview with Al Jazeera.
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|
Widodo told Al Jazeera
that he was not swayed by the nationality of convicts on death row [Syarina
Hasibuan/Al Jazeera]
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Indonesian
President Joko Widodo has defended his decision to reject clemency for drug
smugglers on death row, but says he is open to abolishing the death penalty if
the Indonesian people wanted change.
In
an exclusive one-one-one interview with Al Jazeera correspondent Step Vaessen,
set to air at 04:30GMT on Saturday, Widodo said "as a human being I feel
it too" when asked about the executions which are set to take place soon.
But
he said he also felt the "suffering of those parents whose children are
addicted to drugs".
The
planned
executions of Australians Myuran Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 31, have
sparked diplomatic tension between the two neighbours after Australia's
repeated pleas for mercy on their behalf.
The
two men, who were convicted of drug smuggling in 2005, are part of a group of
up to 11 convicts, mostly foreigners, due to be executed on the prison island
of Nusakambangan. A date for the executions has not been announced.
Widodo
explained his decision for rejecting the drug smugglers' appeals for clemency,
saying that he was not swayed by the nationality of the convicts, nor the
lobbying of their country's government.
"I believe the Indonesian legal system is thorough in these
cases and looks at the evidence," he told our correspondent.
"When I rejected clemency I took into consideration how many
drugs they smuggled, how many pills they distributed.... The court has
sentenced them and we cannot discriminate between countries."
'Millions in rehab'
Widodo
said there were currently 4.5 million people in drug rehabilitation programmes,
including "at least 1.5 million people who cannot be cured".
"This is the picture of Indonesia’s future, our next
generation. We want to send a strong message to drug smugglers that Indonesia
is firm and serious in tackling the drug problem and one of the consequences is
execution if the court sentences them to death," he said.
"Most importantly, our diplomats can explain to other countries
the urgency of our drug problem in Indonesia. Explain to them about the
conditions here, that drugs are entering villages, ruining our young ones, are
being sold at campuses, even universities have drug problems. This is an
emergency."
Despite
his strong defence of the decision to execute the two Australians and other
drug smugglers, Widodo said he would continue to lobby foreign governments to
save Indonesian citizens from the death penalty when convicted of crimes
overseas.
“As a head of state of course I’m going to try to save my citizens
from execution,"
he said.
"That’s my obligation as a president, as a head of state....To
protect my citizens who are facing the death penalty but on the other hand we
have to respect other countries that apply capital punishment....
"The constitution and the existing law still allows the death
penalty. But, if the Indonesian people want to change it in the future, then it’s
possible, why not?"
Indonesian President Joko Widodo's full interview on Talk to Al Jazeera
will be broadcast at 04:30GMT on Saturday March 7.
Now we have 4.5 million people in rehab and at least 1.5 million people who cannot be cured. This is the picture of Indonesia's future, our next generation .... Drugs are entering villages, ruining our young ones, are being sold at campuses; even universities have drug problems. This is an emergency.Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the president of Indonesia
INTERNET
SOURCE: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2015/03/joko-widodo-strong-message-drug-smugglers-150305131413414.html
Joko Widodo: 'A strong message to drug smugglers'
The president of Indonesia shares his views on the country's drug problem, capital punishment, religion and the economy.
He was called the "president of
the people" when he was inaugurated four-and-a-half months ago. Former
furniture seller Joko Widodo, also known as "Jokowi", is a metal
music lover and former mayor and governor, who stood out for his
hands-on leadership style.
After a tough election campaign and a
narrow win, expectations were high that a new wind would soon blow in the
world's fourth largest country and third largest democracy of 250 million
people.
But a hostile opposition and rocky
coalition provided Widodo with a weak power base. His party leader, Megawati
Sukarnoputri, is often jokingly called the country's "real"
president.
And Widodo shocked many after he
nominated a man charged with corruption as his new police chief. Since August
2014, Widodo's approval ratings have dropped from 71.73 percent by about 30
percent.
Widodo has also raised diplomatic
tensions – in particular with Australia – with his firm stance on executing
drug traffickers, most of them foreigners.
He tells Al Jazeera's Step Vassen: "I believe the Indonesian legal system is thorough in
these cases and looks at the evidence. When I rejected clemency I took into
consideration how many drugs they smuggled, how many pills they distributed
.... The court has sentenced them and we cannot discriminate between
countries."
Widodo remains steadfast in his
decision to carry out the death sentences of 11 convicts - including two
Australian nationals from the "Bali nine" drug smuggling ring
- due to be executed on the prison island of Nusakambangan.
"We want to send a
strong message to drug smugglers that Indonesia is firm and serious in tackling
the drug problem, and one of the consequences is execution if the court
sentences them to death, he says."
He also discusses his strategy on
campaigning for the release of Indonesian citizens on death row and says he is
open to the idea of abolishing the death penalty if that is what the country
wants. Just this week, Indonesian diplomats at a Human Rights Council panel in
Geneva said a ban on the death sentence could be reinstated.
"As a head of state of course I'm
going to try to save my citizens from execution. That's my obligation as a
president, as a head of state ... To protect my citizens who are facing the
death penalty but on the other hand we have to respect other countries that
apply capital punishment ... The constitution and the existing law still allow
the death penalty. But if the Indonesian people want to change it in the
future, then it's possible."
In this exclusive interview on Talk to Al Jazeera, the
president of Indonesia explains his position on his country's scourge of drugs,
religion, ISIL, the economy, and for the first time reveals his willingness to
discuss the abolishment of the death penalty.
INTERNET
SOURCE: http://www.smh.com.au/world/bali-nine-megawati-tells-joko-widodo-not-to-grant-clemency-20150309-13yw5a.html
Bali nine: Megawati tells Joko Widodo not to grant clemency
Jewel
Topsfield
Published: March 9, 2015 - 12:39PM
Published: March 9, 2015 - 12:39PM
- Families due to visit Bali nine duo in new prison for first time
- Chan's agony in letter to teenage self
Jakarta: Former Indonesian president Megawati
Sukarnoputri has reportedly told the current president not to grant clemency to
those on death row, blaming drugs for the spread of HIV in Indonesia.
Ms Megawati is the mentor of President
Joko Widodo and the leader of his party, the Indonesian Party of Struggle
(PDI-P).
Critics have long claimed that Mr Joko
is a "puppet president". Ms Megawati is believed to be behind some of
his key decisions, including naming graft suspect Budi Gunawan as police chief.
At a speech on International Women's
Day, Ms Megawati said drug use in Indonesia had entered a critical state and
was the trigger for the spread of HIV.
"I therefore told
Jokowi that those who sold drugs and who have been sentenced to death should
not got their clemency pleas granted," she was quoted saying on Indonesian
news website Kompas.
She said capital punishment for
narcotics offences should be seen from the perspective of the victims, with
drugs robbing many young Indonesians of their futures.
On December 9, Mr Joko told an
audience at Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University that he would reject all
clemency petitions for drug felons.
"The clemency requests
are not on my table yet. But I guarantee that there will be no clemency for
convicts who committed narcotics-related crimes," he said.
The executions have been delayed
pending the outcomes of several legal cases being pursued by the 10 felons
facing imminent death.
Lawyers for Bali nine duo Andrew Chan
and Myuran Sukumaran are this
week appealing against the rejection of the Australians' clemency pleas on
the basis the president did not consider their cases on an individual basis or
consider their rehabilitation.
The Administrative Court ruled earlier
this month it did not have jurisdiction over presidential decisions. However an
appeal to this finding will be heard on Thursday.
The families of Chan and Sukumaran are
due
to visit the men on the penal island of Nusakambangan on Monday morning for
the first time since they were transferred from Bali.
Meanwhile, four naval warships that
were in Bali waters for the transfer of the Bali nine duo, are now heading to
Nusakambangan to secure the area ahead of the executions.
"We've been here
for a week to provide a feeling of security for the people of Bali from any
threat because the drug death convicts were jailed in Bali," Letkol Laut Daru Cahyo
Sumirat, the commander of the Diponegoro-365 warship was quoted saying on news
website Detik. "This is for the sake of the nation's integrity in
the eyes of the world. We will show that Indonesia is serious in upholding the
law."
The Australian government has complained
about an excessive show of military force during the transfer of Chan and
Sukumaran to Nusakambangan.
"It seemed that our citizens were
singled out for treatment designed to maximise publicity that was certainly at
odds with the treatment of other citizens of other countries in the same
position," Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said.
INTERNET
SOURCE: http://blogs.wsj.com/indonesiarealtime/2015/04/07/widodo-earns-indonesian-approval-for-death-penalty-stance/
- April 7, 2015, 7:02 AM SGT
Widodo Earns Indonesian Approval for Death Penalty Stance
ByAnita Rachman
A member of the
security wing of Nahdlatul Ulama, an Islamic organisation, carries a placard
that says “drug offenders = death,” during a small rally outside the ferry port
to the prison island of Nusakambangan, where a group of drug offenders are due
to be executed, in Cilacap, Central Java, on March 12.
Darren
Whiteside/Reuters
JAKARTA,
Indonesia—The majority of Indonesians say they support President Joko Widodo’s
decision to enforce the death penalty for drug traffickers, according to a
survey released amid appeals for clemency from several death row drug convicts.
A member of the
security wing of Nahdlatul Ulama, an Islamic organisation, carries a placard
that says “drug offenders = death,” during a small rally outside the ferry port
to the prison island of Nusakambangan, where a group of drug offenders are due
to be executed, in Cilacap, Central Java, on March 12.
Darren
Whiteside/Reuters
Jakarta-based
survey agency Indo Barometer found that almost 85% of survey respondents said
they support Mr. Widodo’s firm stance on the death penalty, while more than 84%
of respondents said they agreed with the death penalty for drug traffickers and
dealers. Indonesia’s penal code lists death as the maximum sentence for the production,
import/export or sale of category one narcotics, which include opium, heroin
and marijuana.
The
reason the majority of people surveyed (60.8%) gave for supporting the death
penalty for drug offenses was because they believe that drugs ruin young
people, said Indo Barometer’s executive director Muhammad Qodari. Almost 24% of
them said that capital punishment would provide a deterrent effect.
“Indonesians
see that drugs now reach so many areas; areas that they haven’t thought before,
such as schools,” Mr. Qodari said.
President
Widodo has repeatedly denied requests for clemency from Australia and several
other countries with citizens on death row in Indonesia, saying he is trying to
combat a drug emergency in his country.
On
Monday Jakarta’s high administrative court rejected a final appeal effort from Australians Myuran
Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, saying clemency is the prerogative of the president.
The
two men are among 10 convicted drug smugglers whose executions were delayed
last month because of judicial challenges by six inmates seeking to appeal Mr.
Widodo’s clemency rejections.
The
international community and celebrities have also called on Mr.
Widodo to reconsider his decision, but Mr. Qodari said international
pressure hardly affects Indonesian public opinion.
In
fact, he said, it helps strengthen feelings of nationalism that benefit Mr.
Widodo.
In
the same survey released Monday, Indo Barometer found that the president’s
approval rating after almost six months in office was 57.5% – higher than a January survey by the Indonesia Survey Circle, which
found only 42% of Indonesians said were satisfied with the president’s
performance.
Mr.
Qodari said the death penalty policy definitely contributed positively to the
president’s approval rating.
Aside
from drug trafficking, 53% of survey respondents said they were in favor of the
death sentence for corruption, murder (16.3%) and sexual crimes (4.25%).
Corruption and sexual crimes are not currently punishable by death.
Indo
Barometer’s survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews of 1,200
people from March 15 to 25 in all Indonesia’s 34 provinces.
Joko
Widodo: 'A strong message to drug smugglers'
Published
on Mar 7, 2015
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_S3TjQ4T-s
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