On the death penalty

While Indonesians view certain foreign countries as models, very few consider following the lead of European countries.

Most Indonesians look first to East Asian countries -- such as Singapore and China -- with their image of discipline and prosperity, or Thailand and Malaysia, which combine modernity and tradition. Regular executions occur in these countries, and symbolize, to some people, the order and resolve that is lacking in Indonesia.

Some people think Indonesia should emulate West Asian countries, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia. The governments of those countries also execute people for a wide range of crimes. Admirers of such countries see the shooting of drug smugglers as a positive step toward the repressive society of their prayers.

For Western-oriented Indonesians, the dominant influence is the United States. Apart from Cuba, the U.S. was the only Western country that executed anybody in 2003. Moreover, American judges use the death penalty disproportionately against African- Americans, so that the white majority perceive it as a defense against the "menacing black man". Similarly, Indonesian judges condemn to death mainly Nepalese, Indians, Africans or sometimes Indonesians who are the girlfriends of Africans, thus ensuring continued popular support.

But there is also another reason why executions are used particularly for drug crimes. Whereas the culprit of an individual case of murder is clear, drug traders serve as specimen culprits, guilty for all society's problems relating to drug misuse. In reality, everyone needs to support a rational and humane way of managing an age-old problem, but most people prefer to cast off their responsibility by heaping heavier punishments on the scapegoats, in this case the drug couriers. Thus, the more the war on drugs fails, the greater the demand for more executions.

Against this background, even if the president actually opposed the death penalty, he would not say so. Clemency for terrorists would be decried by foreign governments as weakness in the War on Terror. Clemency for drug smugglers would be resented by the president's allies as weakness in opposing social vice and seized on by his opponents as weakness in law enforcement. Thus, prospects for preventing executions through political avenues are poor.

JOHN HARGREAVES Jakarta