PETER VAN ONSELEN: Anthony Albanese achieves rare win with Bali Nine members’ release – but he’s still copping it from angry Aussies
Before anyone condemns Anthony Albanese too harshly for lobbying for the release of the five remaining members of the infamous Bali Nine, he has done what the last three Liberal Prime Ministers all tried to do.
The only difference is that Albo has been successful. The five remaining members are now back in Australia, free after 19 years in Indonesian prisons.
Scott Morrison, Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott all lobbied their Indonesian counterparts for the repatriation of the prisoners. Should they also be criticized for doing this? And they did that years ago, when the sentences handed down were served less substantially than now.
Yet Albo has been torn to pieces by many Australians angry about the prisoners’ release.
I, too, would be critical of the decision IF the repatriation requirements would have required the perpetrators to be incarcerated in Australian prisons, which would have passed on the costs of their incarceration to the taxpayer.
That would be a bridge too far for me, even if it would improve the quality of their lives. Why should we have to pay for their continued prison sentences for crimes committed abroad?
But that is not the case here. Continued confinement was not part of the agreement.
The five were released out of compassion by the new Indonesian president and returned to Australia as free citizens. What’s wrong with that?
From left: Martin Stephens, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush, Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen watch their transfer deal being signed by Australian and Indonesian representatives
Acts of compassion that shorten the sentence occur all the time, both here and abroad. And the laws governing drug crimes in Indonesia are internationally recognized as too harsh, with punishments that do not fit the crime.
The controversy surrounding the prisoners’ release stems from the high attention their case attracted, and because Albo is currently on the back burner.
Be that as it may, the returning members of the Bali Nine have been in prison for the past 19 years. They were all in their teens and twenties when they lost their freedom. They come back in their late 30s and 40s, having paid a high price for their bad decisions.
Other members of the nine have already lost their lives due to the crimes they committed by firing squad and disease. At the time, Abbott lobbied in vain for compassion and to spare their lives. He even said Indonesia should protest because Australia generously donated $1 billion in tsunami relief.
Even though Albo has done something right, it is difficult to overcome the anger he has caused among many struggling Australians, writes Peter van Onselen
It didn’t work, but it was the right thing to do, just as Albo has now done the right thing by facilitating the release of the surviving members.
Perhaps one of the reasons why Albo receives so much criticism is because he made so many mistakes as prime minister. Even when he does something right, as he is doing now, it is difficult to overcome the anger he has caused among many struggling Australians.
Maybe tap into their objective compassion.
Remember that the philosophy of sentencing and punishment is intended to include a combination of punishment and rehabilitation. I’m not sure to what extent the latter plays out within the Indonesian legal system, but it’s hard to imagine any of the middle-aged perpetrators repeating their actions now that they’ve finally tasted freedom.