A lot of ink has been spilt over the seemingly imminent execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the two Australians on death row in Indonesia.

The Indonesian government has replied to the claim of their having double standards, where they plead for clemency for their own citizens facing the death penalty in other countries, yet will not respond to pleas for clemency for the two Australians, by quoting John Howard as thinking that the death penalty was appropriate for the Bali bombers.  It is hardly the same situation and I doubt whether Australia actively pleaded for the Bali bombers executions.

The double standard is highlighted by the current Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, being reported as not having even read the individual files, on those facing execution, and consequently not being aware of the Australians rehabilitation.  If rehabilitation was not going to be considered as to whether they were executed or not, why let them wait so many years for the inevitable? This is clearly a form of torture and it speaks well of the two Australians that they have not only survived but seem to flourish as human beings in this situation.

Central to Indonesia’s double standards, is their claim of sovereignty, which seems to override their being part of the international community. One wonders whether this is part of the mindset of absolutist Islam, that by definition, they are above many of the nations that have citizens on death row.  Although Tony Abbott was lampooned for reminding them of the foreign aid  Australia gave in response to the Tsanami tragedy, $1 billion is no small amount of money!

Even at what seems to be only a few minutes to midnight, what about # Tag vote on twitter?