President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo says his government’s insistence on applying the death penalty is due to growing drug crimes in Indonesia, which have reached alarming levels.

The President says Indonesia wants Germany to understand that the country’s stance on the death penalty is related to the emergency status of drug abuse in the country.

Jokowi discussed the issue of the death penalty during his meeting with German President Joachim Gauck at the President’s office in Berlin on Monday, local time.

“About 40 to 50 Indonesian citizens die every day from drug abuse,” Jokowi said as quoted in a statement released by the President’s communications team. This is why the death penalty remains a part of Indonesian law, he added.

Although the government maintained the existence of the death penalty, Jokowi said his administration ensured that its implementation was done carefully and legal rights were afforded to death-row convicts.

During the meeting, Jokowi and Gauck also discussed peace and security in both countries. Jokowi claimed that Indonesia was an example of how Islam, democracy and tolerance could go hand in hand. He said that despite being the most populous Muslim country in the world, Indonesia had managed to develop democracy and tolerance.

Commenting on the ongoing territorial dispute over the South China Sea, Jokowi emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the region. He said no country could benefit from an unstable region.

In his statement, President Gauck said Jokowi was a progressive President who had moved Indonesia’s politics and economy forward. He also appreciated Indonesia’s role in contributing to peace and stability in the Middle-East.

After his meeting with President Gauck, Jokowi visited a vocational education training center in Siemenstadt, a city built by Siemens AG, the largest engineering company in Europe. Jokowi is visiting Germany to boost economic cooperation in trade and investment and to strengthen cooperation in vocational education between the two countries.

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Ayomi Amindoni

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