I am Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo

Australia may well oppose the death penalty wherever and wherever it is imposed and as sure as night follows day polite objections are lodged.  We are free to voice our opinions in a friendly, non-threatening manner. We are not free to dictate.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has done as many in the media, parliament and lobby groups expected. He has opposed the death penalty ad nauseam, chronically badgering the Indonesians and when he wasn’t, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop put in her 2 rupiah’s worth.

But neither Abbott nor Bishop will tear asunder the deep bilateral ties we now enjoy, if the appeals for clemency are not accepted.

Amen to that.

Assuming President Jokowi and the Directorate of Corrections both figuratively and literally stick to their guns, the world will be a better place. Less Indonesians and Australians will be condemned to commence an addiction to heroin. And less will deepen their dependence on that narcotic.

Thanks to principled leadership in Jakarta, the world will soon be rid of two heroin smugglers.

Potential drug runners will now think twice before embarking on such a depraved activity when their plans involve travel to Indonesia.

And if future drug runners try their luck and come up short, I am sure there are plenty of palm trees in Indonesia, which the authorities will happily tie them to before dawn and before delivering justice.

The island of Bali has seen the tragedy of narcotics afflict its youth, not only as a by-product of foreign drug traffickers, but also as an evil in the form of home grown dealers coming down from Java.

Few tears will be shed on the beaches of Bali for Chan and Sukumaran.

Saya Jokowi. I am Jokowi.