Guys, I just want to express my reasons for why I feel so strongly against the pending execution of Nguyen Van Tuong - perhaps in the hope that even one of you might have cause to change your mind and show understanding towards the plight of this young man.
Forget Van for the moment.
The scope of difference in environments in which children are raised in Australia is huge. Many of us, particularly in cities, have had very limited close experience in sharing the lives of others who live in conditions vastly different to our own. We tend to associate with those of similar ilk.
My point is that, with each different environment, comes vastly different, experiences, values, role models or lack thereof, difficulties, affluence, poverty etc. The list is endless.
Let's be more specific now. Depending on the environment in which you are/ were raised, your first hand experience with drugs will generally differ. That means, the way you view drugs differs. To some children, as sad as it is, drugs have always been part of their home life.
It is unquestionable that if a young person is so inclined to want to experiment with drugs, then they will be able to do just that. As we know, only a very small percentage end up trying heroin, although I will add, that the last figures I saw showed that 300000 Australians have used heroin. Most on a recreational basis. Talk about playing with fire. Frightening.
I have dealt closely with people who have come from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds of poverty, domestic violence, high crime rates etc. To suggest that the children raised in those conditions have the same chance at making a successful "go of it" as I have had, is to be naive and in my opinion, unfair.
That is not to say that they can't, or won't, make a go of it. But it does mean, that their learning process regarding life is at a different stage and place to what another more fortunate childs' might be. They may make more mistakes along the way. We need to recognise that.
I am blessed with a beautiful child who will probably not cause me much trouble, but we can never be certain about that. I think it is fair to say that in the scheme of things, my child has been very fortunate.
I know that many of you find it abhorrent and completely unforgiveable that Van has made a choice to attempt to traffic drugs into Australia, and I too recognise the potentially lethal consequences of his choice.
What we need to understand is this. He has made that decision based on his own life experience, whatever that might have been. It was a bad decision. He needed to understand that, but the life ammunition he had on board at the time, just wasn't enough to allow him to see that. It fell short when he needed it.
We would never have made that decision because we have never been that close to heroin. At all times throughout his upbringing, heroin was probably no further than two houses, or one mate away. I'm sure that when Van decided to make his fateful, and seemingly last, trip, he never gave much thought to the fact that his consignment might potentially cause someone's death - just as he never gave much thought to the possiblity that this would be the last trip he would ever make.
To me folks, he is just another example of a young man who has made a dreadful error of judgment, and given a substantial and fair punishment, he would never do this again. He will have learnt his lesson. Something he wasn't able to do thus far.
I have worked with people on many different levels throughout my life. I know how foolish people can be at times. I have made plenty of foolish mistakes in my life - thankfully none as foolish as Van. Forgiveness and understanding is the way forward guys, not revenge and killing of this young man. Please try to understand that.
Nguyen Van Tuong needed another life lesson. It's as simple as that.
Surely a punishment which might even eventually involve him trying to help young people stay away from heroin, or perhaps with the benefit of all this publicity, even going around to different schools in the more vulnerable areas lecturing children on the potential consequences of drugs, would be of much greater positive use to our world. Just imagine the wonderful work he could do there now.
I have worked as a school teacher, business owner in a small country town in very remote Australia, shire councillor, professional musician, property developer and share trader. I still do the last three. I was born in very remote Australia.
