Amrozi, damned and condemned<\/p>\n
Justice under Indonesian law has been done. After a swift
\ninvestigation and an open and fair trial, the first of the Bali
\nbombers has been condemned to die by firing squad. That is a
\nclosure of sorts. But it is by no means the end of the Bali
\ntragedy.<\/p>\n
Amrozi's defiant pride in his role in the Bali deaths and his
\nodious gloating over this week's Marriott Hotel bombing in
\nJakarta has provoked deep, unhappy emotions in Australians and
\nIndonesians alike. At a personal level, there will be those who
\ndraw comfort from knowing that Amrozi, who learnt his fate
\nyesterday, has been shown no mercy. Others, who oppose the death
\npenalty under any circumstances, will see the sentence as a
\nfutile instrument of revenge which can offer no real solace to
\nthose who lost loved ones in Bali on Oct. 12 last year.<\/p>\n
The court's decision has brought Amrozi -- and by legal
\nprecedent his co-accused -- one step closer to death. His
\nsentence, however, is only one factor which will determine his
\nfate. How swiftly Amrozi is now executed, or whether he is
\nexecuted at all, is uncertain. This doubt is inextricably linked
\nto the wider danger posed by radical Islam to the Indonesian
\nstate and to foreigners in that country.<\/p>\n
Amrozi, who yesterday said he would appeal, had previously
\ndeclared his enthusiasm for a \"martyr's death\". His execution
\nwill in no way deter those similarly prepared to commit, and to
\nconfess to, heinous crimes. The possibility that the Marriott
\nHotel blast was detonated by a suicide bomber -- and linked to
\nthe Jemaah Islamiah terrorists responsible for the Bali blasts --
\nreinforces this truth. JI has not been broken. It remains a
\npotent threat. For operational reasons Amrozi may be more useful
\nto investigators alive, in custody.<\/p>\n
Indonesia rarely executes its citizens, even for the serious
\ndrug trafficking offenses which routinely attract the death
\npenalty in other countries of South-East Asia. When it does so,
\nthe process is excruciatingly slow. The handful of prisoners
\nexecuted since 1990 had spent up to 25 years in custody. There
\nare presently serious political and security considerations which
\nmight encourage Jakarta to hold Amrozi on death row.<\/p>\n
The recent rise of radical Islam in Indonesia followed decades
\nof brutal political repression. Under the authoritarian regime of
\nthe former president, Soeharto, Islamic political parties were
\nbanned. But much popular resentment was quietly channeled into
\nthe mosques, where it festered. When Islamic political parties
\nwere legalized after Soeharto's fall in 1998, Muslim groups were
\nemboldened to demand a greater role in the nation's affairs.<\/p>\n
Democracy has since disappointed many Indonesians by failing
\nto curb official corruption, combat poverty or improve the
\ndelivery of basic services. The Indonesian people have suffered
\ngreatly at the hands of terrorists, and deplore their actions.
\nRadical Islam, however, continues to offer the determined few a
\ndangerous vehicle for opposition. Amrozi's execution may go
\nahead. But the fear then must be that the martyr's death he
\ncraves may simply help rally more zealots to his bloody cause.<\/p>\n
-- The Sydney Morning Herald<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/amrozi-damned-and-condemned-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }