Aussie outrage over Corby sparks fears of racism
Aussie outrage over Corby sparks fears of racism
Michelle Nichols, Reuters/Canberra/JAKARTA
Australia risks reviving Asian concerns that it is a racist nation because of a growing backlash over the 20-year jail sentence given to a young Australian woman by an Indonesian court.
Officials, analysts and commentators said on Monday that public outrage over the sentencing of Schapelle Corby on Friday for smuggling 4.1 kg of marijuana into the resort island of Bali could hurt Australia's reputation and relationships in Asia.
Australians should be level-headed in expressing their outrage over a 20-year jail sentence given to Corby, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Marty Natalegawa, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Australians should respect Indonesia's courts.
"The outpouring of sympathy should be expressed within the context of respect for the independence of the judiciary in Indonesia," Natalegawa said.
"We find it baffling that some, not all, have called for a boycott of Indonesia and have even linked the case to the tsunami tragedy. It is important that we play Corby's case within its proper context."
An editorial in Malaysia's New Straits Times expressed shock at the Australian reaction to Corby's plight.
"The public outrage has not only been astounding in its intensity but also shocking in the glimpses it has revealed of the depths of racism and xenophobia," the editorial read.
"Hurling racist slurs at the Indonesian judiciary and casting aspersions on its integrity simply because the Bali court has not endorsed the popular Australian belief ... is unacceptable."
Since Corby was sentenced, staff at the Indonesian embassy in Canberra have received threatening phone calls, some Australians have demanded the return of donations made to tsunami appeals and calls were made for Australians to boycott Bali.
Many Australians believe Corby did not receive a fair trial and are angry that the judge dismissed much of her defense.
"The impression is that Australia has collectively thrown a tantrum," Deakin University analyst Greg Barton told Reuters.
"In the last few years there has been a slide toward accepting racist outbursts and xenophobic nationalist sentiment. I think that still lingers with us and that's why I think things were so quick to blow up with the Corby case."
Australia's ties with Asia were dealt a blow a decade ago with the election of firebrand politician Pauline Hanson, who was branded xenophobic when she called for a cut in Asian immigration, striking a chord with hundreds of thousands of Australians.
Although she lost her seat after two-and-a-half years, Barton said Hanson's reign, combined with the tough immigration policies of Prime Minister John Howard's nine-year-old government, had made it acceptable for Australians to express xenophobic emotions.
"We're likely to see gossip and concern spread amongst the Indonesian public about what Australians think of Indonesians. It will take quite a bit of work to undo. These things do have a way of spiraling out of control," Barton said.
The Herald Sun, Australia's biggest selling newspaper, agreed protests over Corby's sentence were tinged with racism. Its front page read "A nation revolts" above a picture of a placard saying "Boycott Bali, what goes around, comes around".
"Calls to ban Bali or Indonesian travel are illogical, with a hint of racism," the Herald Sun editorial read.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer spoke to his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirayuda by telephone on Sunday to reassure him that the Australian government respected the court's decision and again appealed on Monday for public calm.
"Just because the court is in Indonesia isn't a reason to conclude the courts are corrupt and unacceptable...continuing to berate and denigrate Indonesia isn't going to help anybody in this case," Downer told Australian radio.
But supporters of Corby are planning a national day of protest on July 8 -- Corby's 28th birthday.