Corby in Indonesia and monkeys in Australia

Suspicions about an undercurrent of racism in the public and in the media were also raised by the selectiveness of the attention paid to other drug-related cases. There was little coverage about the young Australian who was convicted of drug smuggling in Singapore in 2004 and is facing the death penalty. Perhaps his Vietnamese descent determined the level of attention he received in the mainstream media?

At the same time, the wrongful detention of an Australian citizen and the wrongful deportation of an Australian permanent resident, serious issues which warrant just as much scrutiny, received less coverage and attention.

In 1999, when Australia was part of the international peacekeeping force in East Timor, anti-Indonesian feelings ran high and Indonesians were attacked or insulted on university campuses. Such actions were ironic as some of the students were pro-democracy activists who had risked their lives to participate in demonstrations in Jakarta that led to the downfall of then Indonesian President Suharto.

The issue here is not whether Corby is innocent or guilty. There is nothing wrong in fighting against perceived injustice, whether it is the innocence of Corby or the detention of illegal immigrants.

What we should be very careful about is the sweeping generalisations that we may be tempted to make about a particular issue. As much as it is dangerous to presume that Corby is guilty of drug-smuggling just because she has family members with drug and criminal records, it is also irresponsible and self defeating to withdraw aid from the victims of a devastating natural disaster because we are unhappy about a judicial decision that took place in their country.

We owe it to ourselves to be the fair and just country that we want others to be.