LEE and CHRISTINE RUSH, parishioners at Corinda Graceville in Brisbane whose 22-year old son Scott is convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced to death in Indonesia, spoke of their pain and anguish when they addressed a Good Friday prayer vigil at Christ the King Church, Graceville, for Scott and all those facing the death penalty
WE are in the unenviable position of being one of the few Australians to have a family member with the death penalty. It is sickening physically and debilitating mentally.
We live with a rollercoaster of emotions – hope, fear. We find it difficult to accept that our beloved son may be killed but at the end of the day we know we are at the mercy of the Indonesian legal system, and Scott’s life is in the hands of God.
On April 17, 2005, Lee was notified by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and I (Chris) was notified by the media that our youngest son Scott had been arrested at Bali, Indonesia for drug smuggling.
On the six o’clock news we were shocked and sickened to see him and others in a state of undress with heroin taped to his legs and back.
In an instant our lives became different – instead of being Mr and Mrs Average Suburbia we came “parents of a drug mule” and Scott became known as a drug mule of the “Bali 9” – a most ridiculous and dehumanising label.
So began our journey of infamy and notoriety which we did not want or seek. “Let this cup pass me by …” was our prayer, but it didn’t and we were stuck with it.
We went to Indonesia – our first overseas trip in 30 years. We faced the media spotlight, cultural and linguistic differences, different legal systems, drug issues – all beyond our knowledge and experience.
We knew very little about Indonesia and we are certainly not the international jetset traveller types.
We had to learn about money – rupiah – tipping, bartering, how to listen, when to speak, even shaking hands, holding hands, (not) folding arms – all basic things that were very different to what we are used to.
That time could best be described as confusion and fearfulness.
We had alerted police that Scott was going to Bali and we did not want him out of the country.
We had found out from a travel agent who called to tell him to pick up his plane ticket. We rang to say not to give him the ticket. This was not possible because of the privacy act.
He was allowed to leave the country, so we were alarmed and suspicious.
Scott was 19 at the time of his arrest and was a challenging teenager. He and we were looking for solutions and now he had committed a serious crime.
To say we were upset, disappointed, ashamed and embarrassed would be an understatement.
We do not condone what he and the other young Australians have done – we don’t approve of illegal drugs or illicit use of legal drugs. The illegal drug trade is obscene.
It was small comfort to know that, in the hierarchy of drug related crime, Scott was in the lower order. In common terms he was a lesser courier of drugs.
In February, 2006, he was given a life sentence. This was absolutely devastating – we were grieving our loss, reassessing our life plans and making financial provision to keep Scott in a foreign jail.
Two other Australians were given the death penalty. We went to the court to show solidarity and were sickened by the news and shocked by the behaviour of the local mati “Kill em” Granat anti group.
Surely violence begets violence. All this was happening after Bali Bomb 1 and 2!
In the meantime, there were other unnerving happenings while we were in Indonesian. There was Bali bomb 2 – all the phones were cut within minutes and it was scary.
Lee got dengue fever quite a serious disease. We lost the case in the Australian Federal Court – a preliminary discovery case to ascertain if the Australian Federal Police had acted legally.
One of the other Australian mothers phoned and was hysterical as she informed us that Van Nguyen had been hanged in Singapore.
Worst of all, Lee’s mother died. But she left instructions that we were to “stay with her youngest grandchild”. Bless her.
We stayed in Indonesia because of visa requirements and financial considerations but regretted not attending her funeral.
Thank God she was not alive to know that on August 31, 2006, after we followed the advice of our Indonesian lawyer and lodged what we thought was an appeal against the severity of Scott’s life sentence, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia increased the sentence to death.
We are uncertain about what steps we should take to best support Scott as we know that incarceration in a foreign country, facing the death penalty, is the worst type of cruel and inhumane treatment. It is mental torture.
When we look into our son’s eyes we can see the scared, frightened boy. It is heartbreaking and soul destroying.
At times we can’t believe he may be killed so goodness knows what he thinks.
He has said many times that he is remorseful and did not mean to bring shame to Indonesia and realises that drugs are the destroyer.
He wants to live, wants to make a difference and give back to society.
What can we say that is encouraging? The one thing that is very difficult to handle is the question – “Are they going to kill me? Why are they going to kill me?”
We have no answer. There are no words that can express the emotions of sitting and holding the living hands of a son and praying with him when he has the death penalty.
We feel his pain in a deep and personal way.
Meanwhile, the legal process in Indonesia to save Scott’s life continues. We have the utmost respect for Scott’s legal advisors Colin Macdonald QC, local barrister and friend Bob Myers and John North.
Confronting the death penalty is horrific and traumatic.
Listening to moral, ethical and legal arguments is difficult. But we must do it.
My (Chris’) mother Agnes continues to pray, seeking a miracle.
Scott’s cousins have been teased, others can’t bear to think about it or talk about it. The more assertive ones argue against the death penalty on a personal level.
As Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane said, “Capital punishment is an affront, even in the case of terrorists. No evil can justify the death penalty as a punishment, no matter how horrible the crime that may have been committed.”
The words “faith”, “hope” and “charity” have taken on a new meaning for us. We are strengthened and fortified by prayers, good wishes and moral support.
We have been able to make our trips to Indonesia with the generous financial support of this parish (Corinda Graceville) and community and our work colleagues, the local under-70s touch football team and the over-35s rugby team (the Bullfrogs).
That is a big relief as one less thing that we have to consider.
We should probably say here that we have not received any payment for any interviews we have done.
On the positive side we have met many caring and compassionate people both here and in Bali.
And we have had the opportunity to further our understanding of the people and diverse culture of Indonesia. We know that we and other Australians need to know more about our nearest neighbour to develop mutual respect and understanding.
Finally, we count our blessings that we have support from family, friends, our parish and community, Just Rights Queensland, Amnesty International, Family Drug Support, the hard-working committee of Australians Against Capital Punishment and its patron Steven Keim QC.
The prayers, encouragement, words of wisdom and guidance make our life that much more bearable.
