I like the way Jakarta and Indonesians reacted to Aussie PM 'threatening statement' about the fate of two Australians waiting execution after the court found them guilty of drug trafficking.
To me, the Indonesians have the right guts to deny Canberra any room to bargain for the two convicts. What's interesting is how they made Tony Abbot felt self-insulted for reminding Jakarta of its monetary aids to the 2004 tsunami victims.
![]()
Believe it or not, the Indonesians are more than willing to refund the money provided that Canberra shows some respect to their judiciary system.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has called Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla to clarify Abbott's comments and emphasize Australia's close relationship with Indonesia.
"I have made it quite clear that the prime minister was simply illustrating the point that Australia has been and remains a supporter, a close friend of Indonesia," Bishop told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"Certainly these comments were not any attempt to threaten Indonesia."
Relations between the neighbors are only just recovering from a damaging rift in 2014 over spying revelations and people-smuggling.
Kalla's office said Friday that the latest executions "will be delayed for between three weeks to a month from now due to technical reasons," without elaborating further. (READ: Jakarta delays execution of two Australians, denies pressure to blame)
Bishop expressed her gratitude that there had been a delay in the men's scheduled transfer from Bali to the high-security prison where they are due to be executed, telling the Sydney Morning Herald: "I said I hoped we could seek an indefinite stay of execution."
However, Indonesia's attorney-general Muhammad Prasetyo declared earlier Friday that "nothing whatsoever" could stop the execution of the two Australians from going ahead.
NOTE:Something for Malaysia to learn from Indonesia. What have we done to make others respect our judiciary?
To me, the Indonesians have the right guts to deny Canberra any room to bargain for the two convicts. What's interesting is how they made Tony Abbot felt self-insulted for reminding Jakarta of its monetary aids to the 2004 tsunami victims.
Believe it or not, the Indonesians are more than willing to refund the money provided that Canberra shows some respect to their judiciary system.
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's attempt to get two Australians off of Indonesia's death row by reminding the neighboring country of their aid during the devastating 2004 tsunami is massively backfiring.Two weeks ago, a threat that Australians would boycott Bali should the executions proceed also led to angry statements online and offline, with Indonesians saying the popular tourist island will survive without Australian tourists.
Tensions between the two nations have grown after Indonesia confirmed Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, ringleaders of the so-called Bali Nine heroin trafficking group, were among the next group of prisoners to face the firing squad.
When Abbott asked Jakarta to spare the two men's lives by reminding them of Australia's one billion dollar aid in the aftermath of the disaster that killed 170,000 Indonesians, he said he "was referring to the obvious strength of the relationship between Indonesia and Australia." (READ: Australia PM denies threatening Indonesia)
But that didn't go down well among Indonesians. Aside from the angry response from Indonesia's Foreign Ministry, a campaign quickly began in Aceh – the province that suffered the most from the tsunami – to collect coins to repay Australia's aid.
Over the past 3 days, netizens have been posting pictures of piles of coins with the hashtag #KoinuntukAustralia (coins for Australia).
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has called Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla to clarify Abbott's comments and emphasize Australia's close relationship with Indonesia.
"I have made it quite clear that the prime minister was simply illustrating the point that Australia has been and remains a supporter, a close friend of Indonesia," Bishop told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"Certainly these comments were not any attempt to threaten Indonesia."
Relations between the neighbors are only just recovering from a damaging rift in 2014 over spying revelations and people-smuggling.
Kalla's office said Friday that the latest executions "will be delayed for between three weeks to a month from now due to technical reasons," without elaborating further. (READ: Jakarta delays execution of two Australians, denies pressure to blame)
Bishop expressed her gratitude that there had been a delay in the men's scheduled transfer from Bali to the high-security prison where they are due to be executed, telling the Sydney Morning Herald: "I said I hoped we could seek an indefinite stay of execution."
However, Indonesia's attorney-general Muhammad Prasetyo declared earlier Friday that "nothing whatsoever" could stop the execution of the two Australians from going ahead.
NOTE:Something for Malaysia to learn from Indonesia. What have we done to make others respect our judiciary?