The president claims to be “very open to options” when discussing the possibility of Indonesia abolishing the death penalty.
Ahead of his delayed visit to Australia, President Joko Widodo has reportedly revealed that locals might actually change their minds when it comes to execution laws. The president said regarding this matter that his decision is still based on the nation’s rules, for the moment.
“Indonesia has regulations, Indonesia has its own law, which still allows execution. That’s what I complied to,” the president recently told ABC.
Despite his uncertainty, Jokowi seems to be considering the move, as he recently emphasized the need to rebuild relations between the archipelago and Australia.
See: Indonesia Executes Four Drug Offenders In Second Round Of Executions
“The most important thing is definitely to have trust in between the country leaders, and then the relationship between the citizens,” the president said.
In addition, Jokowi hoped that both nations can work together in addressing the issue of the thousands of asylum seekers who are believed to be stranded in the archipelago as they seek to relocate to Australia.
Last year, Australian drug traffickers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed in Indonesia. The executions spark outrage from Australia, leading to deteriorated relations between both nations. Canberra withdrew its ambassador to Indonesia to express its dissent as a result of the killings.
On Saturday, Jokowi postponed his presidential visit to Australia following the Jakarta riots which took place on November 4. The president has yet to announce new dates to replace his visit.