Your Honour President Bapak Joko Widodo and Your Honour Chairman of the Supreme Court.
First and foremost, I’d like to apologise to Bapak for my actions 10 years ago. I have caused so much trouble and I even don’t know how to start apologising to Bapak for my actions in 2005. I know that whatever I say will not mean a lot, but I’m truly sorry. At that time, I was very young and foolish and uneducated. I know my words are weak, but I want you to know that I have been trying from the moment I realised the extent of the suffering caused by my actions.
After realising how many people I have hurt, I’ve tried to amend my mistake by doing positive and useful things for people around me. From that moment, I have tried to be a respectable man and someone my family can be proud of. I’m very ashamed of how bad I have embarrassed my family and my country because of my wrong doings. And I have tried to be a good man since that time.
So far, it has not been easy because jail is not an easy place to live. It’s even worse when your family lives far away in different country. It’s very difficult to be a good man inside prison and for a long time, I thought it was not possible for me to change who I was. But after learning Bahasa Indonesia and getting to know officers in Kerobokan prison, they taught me!
They showed me kindness and love, they showed me patience, they helped me to start a computer program and we teach Microsoft Office to other prisoners here and many people are happy to learn it. I know I’m a good person by living a good and productive life, by helping others. I must thank Bapak because it’s Kerobokan prison and its officers here who have made me this way and I’m happy to become the person that I am now. Thanks to Bapak, because your country has taught me over the past 10 years. Many hard things, but honestly many (other) important, good things.
I know this letter will mean nothing to you Bapak or having an impact on my execution, which is getting closer, but I want you to know that I have changed, I’m now a good person because of my experience here.
The officers never stop encouraging me to behave well and do positive things. They are very enthusiastic to have further programs so that we can set up a design studio and teach Photoshop and Corel Draw to other prisoners. These courses are so very popular that we developed a printing course and finally the drawing and painting class, music class, philosophy and English class, psychology class and first aid class. We also have sports programs, tennis coaching, boxing and weight lifting and we also have competitions that people enjoy.
In a way, Bapak, I would like to thank you even though I’m in prison. If the lowest point of a society is prison, then it must be noted that your prison has changed me into an extraordinary person, a good man, an educated man.
I just want to give my appreciation to the officers in Kerobokan Prison who have taught me.
Thank you Bapak
Respectfully, Myuran Sukumaran
Your Honour President Bapak Joko Widodo and Chairman of the Supreme Court.
My name is Andrew Chan and at this moment, I’m kept in a corrections facility in Bali Indonesia. Life in prison is tough. And it becomes more difficult because my family live very far away and I rarely meet them. But I’m writing this letter not to complain about this because I know I deserve to be jailed for quite a long time.
Your Honour, the reason I’m writing this letter is to beg Your Honour to understand me and that Your Honour could see from the bottom of his heart that I as a human have been reformed with a changed heart. Far from family and friends, many things have made me appreciate the value of real life and that has changed me into the me now.
I’m like a broken cup, but doesn’t mean that I can’t be repaired. In the last ten years in the system of this country that Your Honour leads, it has made me complete, to love Indonesian people and help them.
I realise that if I had abused the trust back then I have to regain that trust by showing that I can be trusted. I want to say that I’m guilty of the crime that I committed. I’m not trying to justify or belittle what I have done.
I beg that Your Honour gives me a second chance to show Your Honour that I have changed.
I spend my time right now teaching others not to commit the same mistakes I have done and that they need to realise the pain, the suffering and the countless sleepless nights caused by that. I can say those things because I did the same thing to my family.
I’m learning to be a pastor. I could praise myself for lots of things, but anyone can praise themselves and so I will let others speak for me, including prison officers, prisoners, even the prison governor. I say thank you for Your Honour’s time to read this letter and I pray that Your Honour will understand me better.
Your Honour, I’ve always loved the people and the country of Indonesia and I’m hoping again that Your Honour could see from the bottom of his heart that I’m a changed person, who has changed for the better and maybe one day, you could see it for yourself. I hope from the heart that Your Honour could give me a second chance.
Respectfully, Andrew Chan
Photo: Sonny Tumbelaka via Getty Images
