Saturday AM featured a discussion on Australia's equivocal position on the death penalty.
I am hopeful a movement will emerge to galvanise public opinion to push our Government to do a lot more than wring its collective hands when the media spotlight comes on. Downer describing as a 'creep' a prominent lawyer who condemned the Government's handling of the Singapore case was typical - the lobbying done in this case was nowhere near enough to get a result and why should it when you have the Prime Minister leading the Australian cheer squad celebrating the death penalty in other cases. Who is the creep then?
It is vital we stand shoulder to shoulder with brave Singaporeans willing to voice their protest over mandatory state murder. The Age is reporting a senior Singapore nun has taken the dramatic step of calling on her Government to drop the death penalty, following the execution of Melbourne man Nguyen Tuong Van.
In a move that may anger Singapore's leaders, Sister Susan Chia, province leader of the Good Shepherd Sisters, described the death penalty as cruel and inhumane. It violated the right to life, she said. Change in closed societies can only come from within but it is beholden on outsiders to maintain their support for those with the courage to speak out.
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