Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott And His Wife Margie
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his wife Margie prepare to place floral tributes near the cafe in central Sydney December 16, 2014 where hostages were held for over 16-hours. Heavily armed Australian police stormed a Sydney cafe early on Tuesday morning and freed a number of hostages being held there at gunpoint, in a dramatic end to a 16-hour siege in which three people including the attacker were killed. Reuters/David Gray

Indonesian protesters are campaigning to return Australia’s $1 billion aid after Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s “reminder” that Australia helped the Asian country in times of need. Thousands of people have gathered on the streets of Jakarta on Sunday to protest Abbott’s comments, comparing the Australian leader to Shylock, the villain of the Shakespeare play “The Merchant of Venice.”

In a bid to save Bali Nine pair Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran from death, Mr Abbott reminded Indonesia that Australia had helped them when they needed help from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that devastated its Aceh province. Australia donated a total of $1 billion to help its ally country, a fact that the PM wanted the nation to remember now that Australia needs them to save its citizens from the firing squad. Australia would apparently feel “grievously let down” if Chan and Sukumaran were executed.

He attempted to soften his words later, claiming he only mentioned the contribution relief merely as a “reminder.” However, that didn’t appease Indonesians, who likened the PM to Shylock, the fictional character known for demanding a pound of flesh in return for a defaulted payment.

“Australians need a prime minister, not a Shylock and drug dealer’s cousin,” a banner at the protest read. The rally was organised by a group called Coalition of Pro-Indonesians, which asked people to hand over coins to pay back Australia’s tsunami relief donation.

“Let us not let our dignity being bought by Tony Abbott,” action coordinator Andi Sinulingga said. The drive will continue until the Australian PM “apologises directly, not represented by his foreign minister.” He added to Kompas.com, “Australia wouldn’t dare behave like this to another country.”

Social media also got involved in the drive, with Indonesians tweeting photos of themselves collecting coins, adding the hashtag “KoinuntukAusrtalia,” or #CoinForAustralia in a bid to repay the amount pledged by then-PM John Howard to the country.

Chan and Sukumaran are among the 11 death row inmates that have been named for the second batch of execution. There were reports that they were originally set to be transferred from Kerobokan prison to Nusakambangan Island, where the execution would take place, last week. However, the move was delayed, with officials claiming the island wasn’t prepared for the execution.

Attorney General HM Prasetyo has not announced a specific date for the duo’s transfer or for the inmates’ execution, although he has been quoted by Tempo magazine in Indonesia that the executions would not take place in February, citing the flooding in many areas.

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