"For any prisoner to be granted parole in Indonesia they must admit guilt and show remorse for their crimes".
This is 100% correct.
If Schapelle Corby wants to be granted parole, she will NOT have any other choice than admitting guilt in a written statement.
This is only one of the multiple conditions she will have to fulfill and this is clearly stated in article 6 A (1) Peraturan Menteri Hukum dan HAM Nomor M.01.PK.04-10 Tahun 2007 tentang Syarat dan Tata Cara Asimilasi,
Pembebasan Bersyarat, Cuti Menjelang Bebas, dan Cuti Bersyarat.
A. Persyaratan Substantif:
(1) telah menunjukkan kesadaran dan penyesalan atas kesalahan yang menyebabkan dijatuhi pidana;
I am not gonna elaborate on the other conditions but indonesianists would have understood that paragraph (1) explicitly imposes that she has shown remorse and awareness concerning the crime for which she has been sentenced. A refusal to admit her guiltiness would just render the parole legally impossible (and open to any legal challenge which would for sure arise).
Those supporting her and commenting in this thread (no judgement from me) should understand that many Indonesian do NOT share their feelings concerning the Corby case and that, at the end of the day, the Indonesian government will have to face their disapproval for any decision granting her parole. I read on a daily basis Kompas and Suara Pembaruan, which are my favorite indonesian newspapers. I often browse online many other Indonesian publications and blogs. I have
NEVER read any article saying, concerning Schapelle Corby, "Enough, it is time to free her". At best they are neutral, just reporting officials' comment or legal banalities, at worse they are clearly condemning any parole or clemency.
About her being released soon... Well, isn't it what we hear pretty much every year or month?
An example from 2010: The title reads "Schapelle Corby Bebas Saat Natal?" (Schapelle Corby free for Christmas?).
There are very strong lobbies (ex: GRANAT, who are strongly backed up by POLRI and BNN) in Indonesia which are considering her as evil, and which are totally opposed to any parole without imposing unacceptable conditions to the Australian government. An example
here. Again, to give you just a feel of the atmosphere, just look at the title. It says: Soal Corby GRANAT akan gugat presiden ke PTUN. (Concerning Corby, GRANAT - the National Anti-Narcotics Movement- will sue the President to the Administrative Court). If you read the core of the article it explains that GRANAT was ready to fill a suit to challenge the presidential clemency (the remission of 5 years on Corby's 20 years sentence) granted to Corby in mid 2012!Though there are very little chance that such legal challenge reaches a positive outcome, it is a way for GRANAT - and those behind it - to put pressure on the government when we are hearing rumors about a possible parole for Corby. They have just recently released a new serie of virulent statements against the possibility of parole for Corby.
The government is also in a very weak situation: we have important elections coming in 2014 and freeing Corby would definitively be used by political adversaries of the Clan Yudhoyono (both Amir Syamsuddin, Justice and Human Rights minister and Denny Indrayana, his deputy, are prominent members of the Partai Democrat and close to the President and are the one who would be involved in a decision of parole). Nationalism is high in the country and many are criticizing Yudhoyono for his lack of consistency and accusing him to bow to Australian pressures. The Democrats are already in heaps of trouble, with countless graft scandal involving its members, so I guess they are not in a hurry to add to their burden, that soon before the elections. They will certainly grant her parole, but I suppose that many in Yudhoyono's camp would prefer to let the next president dealing with this issue. Most Partai Democrat calon DPR-RI certainly doesn't want to be challenged over Corby's ass fate during the kampanye, which is already predicted as being a difficult one for them. I am pretty confident that they've let it known to the President and its close staff and have asked them to
duduk manis until the election and avoid to make waves.
There is also a legal problem to overcome concerning her immigration status as a parolee. While being the host of a State Penitentiary, she doesn't require any immigration permit (ex: ITK sosbud, ITAS, ITAP...etc) but as soon as she is granted a form of freedom, she should have a valid immigration permit. Problem: she is not eligible for it (she's not married to a WNI, she doesn't work, she's not retired...etc) and requires a special authorization from DitJenIm (they have the power to do so for exceptional humanitarian reasons), but no guidelines have been clearly drafted concerning the procedure to grant it for foreign parolee.
Last, though she is eligible for parole, you would find nowhere in Indonesian law that parole MUST be granted to a convict. The only fact that she's denied for so long her guilt could be reason enough for a challenge of the decision, would it happen immediately after an admission of guilt. It would also offer an easy reason to further delay the process.
It is far easier politically for the government to continue to grant her remissions twice a year than to grant her parole.
To be honest, I am often puzzled at reading expats comments on forums concerning Corby. They are often, no offense intended, so far away of Indonesian daily reality and politics.
