Abbott's own tsunami
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott humiliated himself on Wednesday when he described Indonesia as ungrateful for refusing to drop its decision to execute two Australian drug traffickers despite Australia's A$1 billion (Bt25.5 billion) worth of aid that
The PM had embarrassed himself because his offensive remark was initially only responded to by the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Armanatha Nasir.
It was ridiculous to compare Australia’s assistance to help hundreds of thousands of victims of a natural disaster in Aceh and Nias with his efforts to save the lives of two Australian drug traffickers.
As reported by Reuters, Abbott urged Indonesia to remember the tsunami, saying Australia would feel “grievously let down” if the executions proceeded despite the financial assistance it offered after the disaster.
Although he tried to play down his own remark, the damage has been done.
And any damage control from the prime minister will mean almost nothing.
“Threats are not part of diplomatic language and no one responds well to threats,” Armanatha said in response to Abbott’s warning.
Generosity
Indonesians will never forget Australia’s generous help for the people in Aceh and Nias, and we wish that we could have the opportunity to show the same generosity to Australia. We will always remember with deep gratitude the four Australian military personnel who lost their lives during a rescue operation in the two tsunami-devastated areas.
From the perspective of Australian domestic politics, Abbott’s strong “threat” is understandable. Abbott wanted to impress his own people that he was a strong leader ready to do anything to protect Australian citizens, especially as his position as his party’s boss is in great danger. Although he could foil the party coup attempt, the recent attempt by his own party compatriot to unseat him was very alarming for Abbott.
The death penalty is controversial everywhere. Any state, including Indonesia, has the obligation to protect and to save the lives of their citizens who are facing troubles abroad, including those on death row.
But in the end, every country should also respect the laws of other countries.
The PM’s remark, however, will not change our respect for the government and the people of Australia who greatly contributed to the rescue and rebuilding of Aceh and Nias.
