A FATAL ARGUMENT

It would appear that the execution by firing squad of the three Bali bombers is imminent. Apparently families of the 88 Australians who were among the 202 victims who died in those terrorist attacks have been told. And personally I would say Good Riddance.  Amrozi (the smiling assassin) Sunadra and Gufron deserve to die. It has been eight long years for the victims’ loved ones for this to come about. And now all legal avenues have been exhausted.

Their deaths, although welcomed by many, will be a test of conscience for a lot of people, including the Labor Government and the Federal Opposition.

The government is supposedly implacably opposed to capital punishment.

Only eight months ago, during the Federal election, the then Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister, Robert McLelland said that, under a Rudd Government, Australia would oppose the death penalty in all circumstances. Even for killers like Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden.

Even more, Australia would take the lead in forming a regional coalition to fight the death penalties in countries like China and India and Japan and Singapore and Indonesia. That opposition would not be confined to Australians found guilty of capital crimes like some of the Bali Nine.

And McLelland attacked the then Prime Minister Howard for not condemning the imminent execution of three of the Bali Bombers.

His speech was cleared by Kevin Rudd but he was then abandoned when the Labor pollsters realised it was not a good look so close to the fifth anniversary of the Bali bombings. Rudd rebuked his Shadow Minister and described his comments as’ highly insensitive’.

Rudd said as Prime Minister he would fight to save the lives of Australians on Death Row overseas. But he wouldn’t intervene over convicted terrorists.

Back then Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer was also twisting and turning.  He said Australia would appeal for clemency to the Indonesian president on behalf of the Bali Nine but not on behalf of the Indonesians and not on behalf of the Bali bombers.

As I said the pending executions will test the conscience of a lot of death penalty opponents. Are we only opposed if the killers are Australian?

We don’t protest every time there is an execution in Japan, or India, or China or even the United States. So how firmly opposed to capital punishment are they?

If you argue that you don’t oppose the execution of the Bali bombers out of respect for the victims’ families then what about the families of those slaughtered by Julian Knight and Martin Bryant?

Amnesty International is totally opposed to the death penalty and has appealed for clemency for the Bali Three. That’s why I quit Amnesty.

But listen to your own increasingly frail arguments. How can you be opposed to the death penalty in this country but not in other countries. Or  should I say not for non-Australians in other countries?

Thursday, July 17, 2008

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2008