Shallow humanitarianism
From Prospek
Arswendo Atmowiloto may feel relieved after ending his prison term. Being a creative and productive writer before Monitor tabloid's publishing license was revoked, he resumed writing in the media.
However, I am criticizing Arswendo's article in Tempo a few weeks ago about a Malaysian citizen named Steven, alias Chan Tin Chong, who was sentenced to death by the State Court of West Jakarta for smuggling 420 grams of heroin into Indonesia.
I should have sent this letter to the magazine which published his article, but it is too late because the magazine has been banned.
Arswendo concluded his article by saying "It is not the death that concerns, but the verdict that causes the end of life of a fellow creature." Correct! Our life and death are in the hands of God.
But God also teaches us law. And God's law is the most just. Mankind must obey God's law if one wishes to be safe here and hereafter. We know that the legal sanctions imposed in Indonesia are usually light, while Malaysia is very strict in this matter. A drug smuggler will certainly get the death penalty there.
It seems to me that you show tolerance to uncivilized crimes. A lot of young people have become victims of drugs or heroin smuggled into Indonesia. And still many others must suffer from side effects of the drugs. Rapes, murders and other forms of violence have threatened the safety of the society.
Should we let our own relatives become victims of such actions?
Logically speaking, a murderer must be sentenced to death. But we must examine the case deeper to discover why one human being kills another. Is the murderer sane or insane, or in a state of drunkenness?
This is the responsibility of the police. In the case of Steven, he was sane, not insane, and not drunk. Through the drugs he smuggled, he indirectly killed thousands of young people.
He might also smuggle similar substances into other countries. How can we tolerate this?
I appreciate Arswendo's altruism, but I respect the court's verdict more.
NUNGKY HARTONO
Jakarta