Tit for tat? Eye for an eye?

After 10 years of being placed in a limbo, the suspense was finally put to an end. The lives of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, two young Australians with a supposedly bright future in front of them came to a premature end. They faced the Indonesian firing squad for their crime of being the mastermind and smuggling 18lbs of heroine. Firing squad? Not lethal injections or hanging or electric chamber? It appears primitive and militarised but that is how they do it in Indonesia.

Their sentencing and subsequent execution of sentencing had stirred the sentiments of many, especially Australians and also started the debate on the necessity of having capital punishment.

The opponents of this form of punishment would argue that studies have shown that death have never been shown to be a deterrent for anyone not to commit crime. They also question our place to dispense judgement on one's God-given life, what more to take it away.

On the other hand, there are those who say that ample warning had been plastered all over the place that that is how that country handles its drug problem and despite all that, the perpetrators decided to clash head-on with the legal system by blatantly carrying the merchandise. Hence, they appropriately had to face the full wrath of the long arm of the law. The sympathisers are losing sleep over the two lives but what about the innumerable lives lost, broken families, loss of childhood, wrecked relationships and wanton disappointments that they were privy to. What about the single mothers, the orphans, the loss of father figures and broken homes? Is the nation obligated to maintain such a life that has caused so much destructions on the argument of we cannot take what we cannot give, i.e. life?

10 years, however, is a long time to reflect on matters committed at a tender mindless age with raging hormones and defiance to authority. They were no angels but everyone is entitled a second chance. We all have seen wayward classmates who had turned over a new leaf to turn their lives around to be somebody. In these years, the duo had been exemplary prisoners who had taken steps to improve their own academic standings and of others.

At the end of the day, all the political wrangling and emotional pleading could not reverse the sentence. Justice as they deemed fit was meted. Drug kills!