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.