Michelle Leslie - The sad nasty truths for Bali and Australia

Michelle Leslie - The sad nasty truths for Bali and Australia
By Bali BS News
Dec 22, 2005, 07:02

When Michelle Leslie held her press conference after being reunited with her family in Australia following 3 months in a crowded, hot jail cell in Kerobokan, Bali for drugs possession, she dismayed the world by announcing that she was not going to tell the full story about corruption, etc. because Australian prime minister John Howard and foreign secretary Alexander Downer both demanded she keep quiet about what happened “because it could jeopardize other drug offenders in Indonesia”; which means the Bali 9.

But while some Australian hacks feigning press reporters have lambasted Michelle to the extent of capitalizing the word “CONVICTED”, the truth has eluded media attention. First, if Mr. Howard and Mr. Downer were so concerned about the Bali 9 and their fate regarding possible death sentences, why was it that the Australian Federal Police reportedly fingered them with the Balinese police and customs in the first place? Secondly, Mr. Howard therefore admits, by his own words, that the judicial process in Indonesia has less to do with justice then it has to politics; as in “We don’t want to upset the Indonesian courts by your publishing details of their corruption as they will take it out on the Bali 9 and hand them down death sentences!”

Then there is the truth behind the mutterings of Muslim leaders for Michelle Leslie having allegedly feigned being a Muslim and wearing the “hijab“ in order to get a lighter sentence, plus the nasty published mutterings of certain elements of the Australian press for wanting to sell her story in the first place. Seems like protests from Muslims came in from all around the world for Michelle Leslie’s somewhat questionable claims to be a Muslim and for wearing the hijab, saying she insulted Islam in order to get a more lenient sentence. But where are all the complaints from non-Muslims around the world for this de facto admission that Muslims do get better treatment in Indonesian courts? So what then she pretended to be a Muslim to do what she could within Indonesia’s sick legal system? Stop criticizing Ms. Leslie and make it so that no-one has to pretend to be Muslim in order to get better treatment; cure the ailment, not the side effects. After all we are told Indonesia’s Economics Minister Aburizal Bakrie’s son was in the car with Ms. Leslie when she was busted but was not himself detained by the police because of his family’s powerful influence. And it does seem the advice to play up her new found religion came from Indonesia’s finest [sic], themselves devout Muslims [sic].

As for wanting to sell her story, Michelle Leslie swept away the rumors of her wealth when she revealed she only wanted to sell her story because she wanted to repay her parents who had to sell their home in order to pay bribes to Indonesian officials! No-one seems to have stepped up and thanked Michelle for forgoing the chance to get her parent’s home back so as to hopefully save the necks of the Bali 9. So we say “God Bless you Michelle Leslie. Good on you. For us you have shown higher moral ground and much greater humanity than even your own prime minister.”

And of course that same subject, the money from Michelle’s parents selling their house, raises yet another issue which has seemingly only been addressed and reported with spin. The subject of where it went, the denials, and the truths that came out because of it. First the Balinese police chief was quick to say that money had not influenced his police officers, referring to the officers in the police laboratory who tested Michelle Leslie’s blood samples for narcotics, after it was alleged a huge bribe had been paid to them to return a negative result. The problem is though, as ever, his denial was selective. It simply was that the officers reported the facts in the end; he did not deny they took money! So the likely real and full truth is the police took the bribe money but then found themselves unable to return a negative analysis because the case and bribe allegations then became too public. Consequently a police spokesman then denied any money passing hands, but that leaves one important question remaining; what happened to all the money Leslie’s family and supporters ploughed into getting her released? And of course what would a police department known for corruption and lies say when pushed anyway?

On the subject of bribes what also made fascinating reading was the statement from the KPK (Indonesian Corruption Commission) which confirmed what Bali BS has been saying for a long time, that the KPK are frauds, nothing more than a public relations exercise by the Indonesian Government because they have absolutely no powers to investigate corruption whatsoever. Quoting Australia’s The Age; "A spokesman for the Indonesian government's anti-corruption office in Jakarta said officials were not looking into Leslie's case, because there was no branch office in Bali." What a joke! But the trouble is it is a sick joke as the KPK are meant to be there to stop Indonesia’s mafia police and judiciary from being what they have become; above the law and a law unto themselves. It was not that long ago we reported how Harry Bleckert (see: Bali Law Enforcement) was told by the KPK that certain Balinese police officers, prosecutors and judiciary did have a corruption case to answer to, and then promptly turned the matter over to the police to “investigate”. Because that went nowhere, now the KPK has no choice but to claim it can do nothing because it does not have a paper clip cupboard in Bali.

But of course the joke lingers on. Now the KPK have said they can not afford the air fare to Denpasar, although they are keen to fly around the world to International meetings to inspire investor confidence in Indonesia, while the National Judicial Commission of Indonesia IS investigating the judges in the Michelle Leslie trial for handing out such a lenient sentence. Of course the National Judicial Commission of Indonesia claims this is an anti-corruption investigation, although that seems somewhat of a joke as they have previously investigated some 280 cases of alleged bent judges in what is Internationally recognized as the world’s most corrupt judiciary, yet has only ever returned one single corruption verdict! Hmmmm, seems like some more PR BS spun for the agitated extremist Muslim groups in Indonesia who want Ms. Leslie hung and yet another well paid ineffectual job for the boys!

What a sick, nasty place Bali / Indonesia has become and it seems with the selective “one rule for us / today, another rule for them / tomorrow” endorsement of John Howard and company. Indonesia, we hope you get what you deserve. God bless Michelle Leslie.