Abbott's bullying has harmed cause of Australians on Indonesian death row

This is an outrageous suggestion and a form of psychological pressure akin to blackmail on the part of the Australian government. Furthermore the arrogant stance adopted by the Abbott government in its lecturing and hectoring of Indonesian authorities has likely lowered the chances of a commuted sentence for the two condemned prisoners. The Australian prime minister, who in the short time he has been in office has overseen a serious deterioration of his country’s relationship with Indonesia, should seek advice from his predecessor, Paul Keating. During his time in office, Keating frequently said that there was no country in the world more important to Australia than Indonesia. Premier Keating did more than any previous Australian leader to strengthen and develop bilateral links with Australia’s closest neighbours.

Edward B Duhigg