John Howard 'angry'. Not a good role model for a Prime Minister!
IF you were looking at 15 years in a filthy Bali prison, what would you do to get out?
Michelle Leslie posed the question and suddenly did not seem the bad person the Prime Minister painted her as.
Fluctuating between strength and vulnerability, the model called a snap conference Friday to hit back at her critics, from the pro-government media in the studio to our infamous Prime Minister John Howard.
"From the day of my arrest until the day I was released, I really believed I would spend the next 15 years of my life rotting in an Indonesian prison," Michelle Leslie said before breaking down, tears dampening her cheeks.
"I can't begin to describe how frightened I was and how confusing it was to find myself in that situation.
"I don't think anyone could blame me or my family or friends for doing everything they could to get me out."
"I think anybody else in that situation would have done the same."
For those unfamiliar with Bali's Kerobokan jail, she offered a quick verbal tour. Her cell was "infested with cockroaches and had no ventilation and no sunlight".
"I had to share that cell with up to 13 women at a time," she said.
The only relief from the heat "was a daily shower with a bucket of cold water in an open sewer".
She then criticised Prime Minister John Howard who -- like his newspaper the Daily Terror and others -- said she should not be paid for her story.
"What has really shocked me is the amount of anger that has been leveled at me, especially from the Prime Minister," Leslie said.
"I know there has been a lot of speculation about whether I was going to tell my story -- let me tell you now, all I ever wanted to do was clear my name and also that my story is not for sale."
She made it clear from the start that she would not talk about her case or criticise the Indonesian legal system, because this could make life worse for other Australians in Bali awaiting their fate.
Her softly spoken father Albert sat on her left.
On her right was mentor Sean Mulcahy.
Albert Leslie spoke with disbelief about his daughter's treatment.
Mr Leslie blasted Foreign Minister Alexander Downer for taking no interest in his family.
Her father, Albert, said he was staggered and amazed Mr Howard would get involved in the case.
Mr Leslie referred to the Bali Nine drug accused, who face possible death sentences for heroin smuggling, and said "... from what we've read and heard, it was his Australian Federal Police that dobbed them in to the Indonesian police - we find that absolutely amazing."
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By FX 27 November 05
Dear Michelle,
Thank you for being such a real person and I hope you get better soon.
Please try and get on with your life now and continue to be what you always wanted to be.
I hope that your dad gets back his $600,000 that your family was robbed of by that evil and corrupt Indonesian government.
I know our government conspired to let it happen, amongst other things, and that they will continue to tell us that Indonesia is a 'true' and 'just' place to be relied upon, 'believed', 'visited', or 'live'.
But most people know that is not true.
John Howard can be a very nasty person and should be removed from public office just for lying to the Australian people, about it and everything else he's lied about in the past.
He doesn't set any example to the Australian people because he also has yet to face his own trial for his war crimes against humanity, at the Hague.
Perhaps a taste of prison life would change his mind about what he expects others to endure?
Your case has proved what a lot of people have believed for a very long time now.
Why is the Australian government in bed with Indonesian government?
When we know that Indonesia is amongst the most corrupt governments and that Australia should not be taking for granted anything that the Indonesian government say is true, on face value! Then acting on that advice alone!
People who are being blown up in Indonesia on the dance floor, the cafes and the Embassy deserve nothing but the truth, so help me God!
And dear person you were the one chosen to deliver that message to the people, through God from the kingdom of heaven, and onto planet earth.
So whether you know it or not or whether you like it or not! From me to you 'This is a Sign' and the light. Not an ordinary light, 'superflurient' the 'brightest light'. Chromium Blue in colour.
God has spoken through you and given all Australians a very special gift for Christmas.
Avoid Indonesia like the plague because your life depends on it!
That gift as it should, has now been past on as a gift by your good self - even though you have paid for it dearly.
The big picture though, is that with your help, other people may avoid the DANGER, may be prevented from having a bad experience, take greater care and survive.
Thanx
Related:
By ecology action 27 November 05
'To cap off the strong, bright, idealistic worthy interview with Nettle, hard nosed winning barrister Tim Robertson on human rights law acknowledged: "Senator Nettle is right, the Australian govt has dropped the ball" '
Ch. 10 Senator Nettle fronting compare Greg, Tom Allard smh, and another smartie woman reporter from (? The Australian? missed it, still waking up). Very moderate tone all round of the sympathetic collegiate bleeding hearts around the "grim" Van Nguyen execution obscenity.
Utility of the first 15 minutes slot on this good, but lowest on pecking order show, is that Nettle presented as a worthy competent 'sharp tool in the shed' unlike dime a dozen News Ltd smears: Good policy dexterity, pursuasive and factual answers meeting the weight of the questions, complete with savvy mannerisms of the professional politician, with high public speaking energy. A walking voice box and that after all is the business. Mannerisms noticeably small l labour union, curious given the middle class background, but reflective of the social policy focus.)
But she really did her Party and self a great service completely shafting the concocted cartoon Telegraph thesis of a shrieking kooky haradon: A timely public repudiation in tv footage of the fake bias of barking dog Akerman who was no where near the studio, and probably an unintended collateral damage of the segment.
To cap off the strong, bright, idealistic worthy interview with Nettle, hard nosed winning barrister Tim Robertson on human rights law led in with the acknowledgement: "Senator Nettle is right, the Australian govt has dropped the ball" or something like that, meaning 'by not doing the background work against the death penalty, exposing our country to profound critique of hypocrisy over support for Indonesian death penalty for terrorist "martyrs" in waiting, like Bali Bomber Amrosi.
How long till this writer's Birchgrove neighbour and Labor Lawyer, Tim Robertson who also has quite a reputation on environmental law, becomes a Green Pary voter? In any case he too was good talent on the show, speaking with real passion and righteous zeal about the 45 year campaign of Amnesty against the death penalty etc etc. "Not even any formal diplomatic protest by this govt only personal approaches", he jabbed into the rhetorical ether.
Channel 7, their satirical and very smart bloke Mark someone? (damn forgot his name)did another funny piece. But is he hiding his know how policy insight behind all these funnies? Probably needs a bit of serious juxtapose to better effect of both. Break it up a bit. Truth is though I missed it having focussed on Nettle bravura, just got the Downer howling to the moon footage at APEC or somewhere. Must have been a yearly roundup?
ch.9 with Laurie Oakes aka Sphere of Influence with Fed education minister Nelson boring as batshit, ignored it.
Instead watched Insiders. General thesis in first half is polls adverse to PM Howard are 'mere' rerun of Beazley '99 to 2001, WHEN THE ALP LOST.
Thus quite right to highlight Beazley credibility gap of recent political history of the country. Only this time Howard has his disastrous megaphone press conference rocks in his saddle bag.
Interesting on Insiders to confirm (like Ch 10) PM reported as reacting to ALP aligned NZ PM Clarke poker raising to lobby Singapore PM at CHOGM, as per ABC TV prime time news last night, by Howard matching her with an out of CHOGM (Valeta/Malta/junket) lobby of the Singapore PM.
Flicked back to channel 9 to see main quality story on difficulty of foreign adoptions and fighting to achieve that dream. Normal family holiday season content choice but not big on political radar, went back to Insiders.
Kelly, Schubert, Bolt, good humoured blather, then notably re-ran the excruciating Beazley Michelle Leslie stuff up interview brain blank out, but also for self preservational 'balance' ran prior to this John Howard criket playing stunt in Pakistan where he couldn't catch a ball literally from 3 feet away. Not really fair assessment as by his age almost certainly long sighted. But fair too to highlight it was a stunt.
But the news story running out of all these morning talkies seems to be Michelle Leslie case and as Barrie Cassidy has put it, isn't there a public right to know about the legal processes going on in Bali and Indonesia?
The PM's office has responded already saying she should keep quiet still even today. After the front pager in the SMH and presumably Age today with allegations of $600K from the $200M Sydney Suttons car/truck business. That is Australian money seeking to corrupt Indonesia making us look bad, as Bolt put it, but really both looking bad.
Leslie is having the whole story reported from under her. Sure its got a credibility gap of sensationalist and to some degree uncorroborated nature. If Leslie says nothing more it will fizzle and disappear. The SMH have responded to criticism around: that "content matters", the "Sydney Boring Herald", "a good paper is not affected by the number of journalists" in the Oz Media section talking turkeys no less.
But at what cost to the Bali 9, to Schapell Corby? Or is the democratisation through transparency of a 200M popolous of Indonesia worth even their misery and demise.
Ah, the Big Media. Must be just great playing God like that. Well no actually. It must be bloody awful knowing words have years of human life and blood on them. I do hope they reflect accordingly.
I myself chipped on 702 talkback last week in this context 'you can't guide history' when Marcus Enfield was saying go quiet for the sake of others, which seems just plain wrong on public policy grounds. Transparency International and all that. But I don't want to play God either: For instance when you are dealing with corrupt paradigm's a sort of moral relativism of real politik and common sense versus polyanna naivety surely plays its part. You don't play fair with a confirmed cheat if you like self preservation.
In simple cruel terms I would say on principle transparency is best for the Indonesians and Leslie and devastatingly bad for the Bali 9, Schapelle and inevitably others.
[See separate post on Pittwater and indy Mctaggart victory.]
cpppcltrust.com/ecologyactionsydney
Related:
It was reported that more than $100,000 was paid out of at least $600,000 used to free Michelle Leslie.
Her Sydney Lawyer Ross Hill confirmed $275,000 was contributed by Leslie's parents after they mortgaged their home.
The $130,000 sent to Jakarta and several other payments were contributed by Leslie's boyfriend, Scott Sutton, and his family, which has a $220 million Sydney car dealership.
Mr Hill said it was possible that bribes were paid to secure Leslie's release but he had not witnessed any.
More than $130,000 sent by wealthy friends to figures in Jakarta to help free Michelle Leslie had disappeared and was rumoured to have been used for bribes, her Sydney lawyer, Ross Hill, has conceded.
He said he had sacked two men from Jakarta, and several associated lawyers, after he took control of the case about three weeks after Leslie was arrested with two ecstasy tablets in Bali.
After that, Mr Hill said, he was not personally aware of any bribes paid to secure her release.
Two Jakarta men were hired by a manager from Neil Sutton's car dealership after they guaranteed they could get Leslie freed immediately. One man is believed have been a bodyguard of the former president Soeharto.
When they flew to Bali, threats were made to force Leslie's local lawyers to resign. The men were given $US100,000 ($135,730) by the Suttons, Mr Hill said.
It was unclear what had happened to the money and it might have been pocketed, he said. "I can't say what they did with it; all I know is that amount of money was taken by them."
Mr Hill said he had heard rumours of a senior Indonesian policeman who requested $US400,000 to reduce the charges Leslie was facing. Her initial drug possession charge carried a potential 15-year sentence but was later dropped to one with only a three-month term, enabling her release eight days ago.
Leslie's spokesman, Sean Mulcahy, said she would not be revealing her story, at least for some time.
Asked about allegations that bribes were paid to reduce her sentence, he said yesterday: "They are issues that go to the heart of this problem and we are not prepared to talk about them at this point. It's something for Michelle to talk about when she is ready."
Bambang Sugiarto, the head of Bali's drug squad at the time of Leslie's arrest, said Leslie might have paid "other institutions".
"Maybe she gave the money to other party, I mean, other institutions."
