Government To Go Ahead with Death Penalty: Vice President

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The Indonesian government will go ahead with the implementation of death penalty on major drug offenders, despite protests from the governments of Australia and Brazil, Vice President Jusuf M. Kalla stated.

"We have reiterated many times that we have the sovereignty and will carry out the executions. Remember that the death penalty is based on a court verdict and is not a presidential instruction," Kalla noted here, Monday.

He understands if a country lodges a strong protest over the execution of its citizen. Indonesia also protested when its citizens were about to be executed in other countries, he said.

However, he was of the viewpoint that the diplomatic incident, in which Brazil delayed the acceptance of credentials of Indonesia's designated ambassador, was unnecessary.
"The executions will be held at the right time," he noted.

Taking a firm stance against drug dealers in January, the government of President Joko Widodo recently executed six convicted drug dealers on death row.  

Besides one of its own citizens, the convicts were from Malawi, Nigeria, Vietnam, Brazil, and the Netherlands. The executions prompted Brazil and the Netherlands to recall their ambassadors in protest. The government will soon execute 11 other convicts sentenced to death, including nine drug convicts, two of whom are Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran from Australia. (WDY)