Australia’s Manner Of Pleading For Bali Nine Chan And Sukumaran’s Lives Is ‘Unacceptable,’ Indonesian Chief Of Staff Says

Australia’s manner of pleading for the Bali Nine pair’s lives is “unacceptable,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s chief of staff said. Luhut Pandjaitan said Australia employs questionable tactics to save Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran from execution.

Writing for Singapore’s The Straits Times, Pandjaitan said that while Indonesia does not object to Australia’s lobbying for the two death row inmates, it does not like how the other country does it. “The objection is to the manner and tone of the intervention, the warnings and the thinly veiled threats,” he wrote, calling the tactics “unacceptable.”

Prime Minister Tony Abbott recently angered Indonesians over his reminder of Australia’s financial assistance of $1 billion to the Asian country when its region was ravaged by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Hundreds of Indonesians took to the street to protest Mr Abbott’s comments, calling him Shylock, after the moneylender in the Shakespeare classic “The Merchant of Venice.”

Australia has also been hinting the possibility of recalling its ambassador in Indonesia if Chan and Sukumaran were killed. Foreign Affairs Minister Jullie Bishop said in previous interviews that the move was being considered.

Mr Abbott appeared to have learnt his lessons on speaking too much on the issue. In an interview with Sky News, the PM admitted that it’s best to say less about the Bali Nine situation now.

“I am inclined to think that after everything that has been said in recent weeks, probably now the less said the better if we want the best possible outcome for these two Australians,” he said. However, he also added that there would be a real issue for Indonesia if they went ahead with executing their death row inmates. He is still waiting for Mr Widodo’s call.

It was revealed earlier in March that Bishop wrote to her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi in another appeal for Chan and Sukumaran’s lives. Australia not only proposed a prisoner swap deal with Indonesia, it also offered to pay for the Bali Nine ringleaders’ imprisonment costs if Indonesia grants them clemency.

Indonesia has refused, with foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir blasting Australia for allegedly revealing the two countries’ diplomatic exchanges to the media. He said the execution was “not a matter of negotiation” but a “matter of law enforcement.”