There has been an overlooked injustice in the Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran affair.
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A strange hypocracy lies within certain sections of the media and legal profession focused upon the immorality of the death sentence when applied to Australian citizens.
There is also a willingness to interfere in a sovereign nation’s right to carry out its laws.
A section of the Australian community strongly affected by this issue – the victims of drug trafficking – has been not just overlooked, but totally ignored.
Since the high profile involvement of top-ranking Australian politicians, legal professionals, clergy, media, and entertainers, there has been a conspicuous decrease in the previously prevalent stories on the nation’s burgeoning drug problem, including the spread of ‘ice’ usage among school children in rural Victoria.
Of course, it can be argued that if something isn’t happening then it cannot be reported. However, at this very moment people’s lives are being affected by heroine addiction – that very substance these two men were trying to bring into this country.
For a country proud of its non-biased media, and sense of equality and justice for all, this silence on the plight of those countless victims and their innocent families is disturbing.
Frankly, I am tired of hearing how “reformed” Chan and Sukumaran are, especially as so many of their victims have not had the chance to turn their lives around, and any attempt to do do has had to rely on a rehabilitation and support system severly financially challenged.
On this, politicians are eerily quiet, as are the legal do-gooders and the clergy.
There is a growing need to help the victims of these two men, two men driven by monetary greed to crime, and yet the funds for rehabilitation programs, half-way houses, medical and social support are shrinking.
Sure, it is a lifestyle choice to indulge in drugs such as heroin, but so it is to profit from it and knowingly defy a sovereign nation’s laws.
Suddenly, any number of high ranking politicians, legal representatives, clergy and celebrities are supporting the cause of the convicted criminal, while similar support – financially and morally – is not forthcoming for drug rehabilitation and drug education programs.
I have not seen or heard a single interview with a person whose loved one was “executed” at the end of a needle containing the drug supplied by Chan or Sukumaran.
Where are the debates, public shows of support and protest against the real victims’plight?
Why is money being cut from programs that fight drug use and support victims of drug abuse, and yet time and enormous effort is being poured into saving two men unquestionably guilty of spreading and profiting from the sale of a substance causing misery?
Andrew Chan and Myruran Sukumaran have had their chance, it’s time to let it go and give a chance to those who can be saved, those victims of heroin and other hard drugs.
After all, isn’t it the Australian way to give everyone a fair go?