JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – Many of Indonesian citizens are not happy with the government of Indonesia’s initiative to pay for blood money in exchange for the life of Indonesian migrant worker Satinah binti Jumadi Ahmad (41).
Satinah is scheduled to face the dead execution today (April 4) in Saudi Arabia.
After weeks of controversy, the Indonesian government announced that they finally agreed to complete the payment of Satinah’s blood money for as much as 7 million Riyal (Rp21 billion).
“It is not that I am heartless but I don’t agree that the government is willing to pay Satinah’s blood money. If the government keeps paying for the blood money, the Saudis would take the advantage of it whenever there is a criminal case involving Indonesian migrant worker there,” Aninda Kusuma told Yosefardi.biz over the phone on Friday (4 April).
Niken Putri, a private company employee in Yogyakarta, told Yosefardi.biz that the government was not wise to pay the Satinah’s blood money. The government should allocate the fund to improve the skill and language training centre so they are well-prepared before they leave to work in another country.
Number of social movements have been done to raise the funding to pay the blood money for Satinah. One of the movement, initiated by the Indonesian celebrities Melanie Subono, has successfully raised Rp2.8 billion.
However since the government has paid the blood money, they would allocate the funding for other’s things. Yet, they haven’t decided but it needs to be noted that they would not give it to Satinah’s family.
Satinah has admitted to the court that she murdered her former employer, Nura al-Garib, and stoled the money for as much as 37,970 riyal or US$10,125 in 2007.
She murdered her employer because she was reproved and was hit by a ruler by her employer. Satinah, who got annoyed with her employer, decided to kill him. (oktofani@yosefardi.biz)