Tony Abbott has defended his comments linking Australian aid money with the imminent execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, saying he was referring to the strength of the bilateral relationship with Indonesia.
On Wednesday the prime minister increased pressure on Indonesia to stay the executions of Chan and Sukumaran, who were caught attempting to smuggle drugs as part of the Bali Nine in 2005. Abbott said he hoped Indonesia would “reciprocate” Australia’s aid efforts, referring specifically to the $1bn contribution after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.
Indonesian officials said linking aid to the case amounted to a threat, but on Thursday Abbott insisted that was not his intention.
“I was pointing out the depth of the friendship between Australia and Indonesia and the fact that Australia has been there for Indonesia when Indonesia has been in difficulty,” he said.
“Now yesterday I was referring to the obvious strength of the relationship between Indonesia and Australia and what we have done for Indonesia in the past and, yes, Indonesia has done a lot for us as well, because that’s what friends do for each other,” he said.
Abbott said he was focused on letting Indonesians know it was in their best interests “and in accordance with their best values, with the quality of mercy that has such a big a place in Indonesian jurisprudence” to stay the executions.
The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, was careful not to criticise Abbott directly, but did tell reporters Australia must proceed with caution.
“The only thing that matters is that in whatever time possibly remains, that we speak with one voice, that we don’t lecture Indonesia,” Shorten said.
“I don’t see that Australians believe that the tsunami aid was conditional about an event 12 years after we provided the aid. But what I also understand is that now is not a time for politics between the Liberals and myself,” Shorten said. “Now is not the time for me to be critical of Tony Abbott on this matter.”
Abbott’s comments signalled a change in his handling of the issue.
In January he said he was not willing to risk diplomatic relations with Indonesia over the case.
“My profound hope is that these executions will not go ahead,” he said then. “What I’m not going to do, though, is jeopardise the relationship with Indonesia.
“That would be foolish to jeopardise the relationship with Indonesia and we believe that we can make the strongest possible representations on behalf of our citizens on death row in Indonesia while at the same time preserving a strong and constructive relationship.”
Legal avenues of appeal for Chan and Sukumaran are all but exhausted, and the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, has signalled he will not grant clemency to people charged with drug offences.
