Bride deposit draws scorn<\/p>\n
Hera Diani and Muninggar Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A woman called up The Jakarta Post the other day in a panic after
\nreading a Post article on the proposal for the government to
\nrequire expatriate men to deposit some Rp 500 million (about
\nUS$50,000) before marrying an Indonesian woman.<\/p>\n
\"My sister's fiance is Dutch. And he said even if he had the
\nmoney, he'd be better off investing it in a business,\" said the
\nwoman.<\/p>\n
The idea was put forward in a recent Supreme Court national
\nworking meeting, the highest forum of judges from across the
\ncountry. Yet, it is still unclear how and when the proposed
\nscheme would be implemented.<\/p>\n
A Supreme Court judge, who attended the meeting, said the idea
\nhad been floating around for the past few years.<\/p>\n
\"The judges are concerned about the poor conditions for
\nIndonesian women, particularly when they are separated from their
\nexpatriate husbands. The women usually lost custody over their
\nchildren, who automatically become expatriates, and are left with
\nno money,\" said the judge who requested anonymity.<\/p>\n
He said the judges were also aware that Egypt had implemented
\na \"good law\" to protect women.<\/p>\n
According to a document from the national meeting, Egypt
\nobliges a non-national to pay 25,000 Egyptian pounds at a state
\nbank before marrying an Egyptian citizen as a bond.<\/p>\n
\"The money is not for the state, it remains the couples'.
\nShould the mixed couple get divorced, each is entitled to half of
\nit. The amount is only a suggestion, but we think it is
\nappropriate as it is not cheap to raise your own children who
\nhappen to be foreign nationals,\" said the judge.<\/p>\n
The scheme has sparked anger among many people in Indonesia,
\nparticularly women, who have accused the state of treating women
\nas a commodity.<\/p>\n
Others suspect that it is just another form of corruption and
\nan attempt to coerce profit from expatriates.<\/p>\n
This would add to the problems faced by mixed couples here,
\nwhich are rooted in the problematic Law No. 62\/1958 on
\ncitizenship that has been called discriminatory against women and
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
Dewi Tjakrawinata, an activist with an alliance that groups
\nabout 4,000 mixed parents here, said the issue had moved beyond
\nthe citizenship law.<\/p>\n
\"It's about women's dignity and basic rights. Even parents
\ndon't have the right to put a price on their daughters. And what
\nabout migrant workers married to fellow workers who are certainly
\nnot rich?\" she said.<\/p>\n
Women's activist and legal expert Nursyahbani Katjasungkana
\nsaid that rather than ask for a deposit, the civil registry
\noffice should just remind every couple to make a prenuptial
\nagreement, or transform the function of mahar (dowry) so that it
\nbecame a form of insurance.<\/p>\n
\"Don't follow an Arabic country that doesn't give
\nfemale citizens any independence. If the government aims to
\nprotect its female citizens, then it must make a good policy,\"
\nNursyahbani -- who is also a legislator from the National
\nAwakening Party -- said in reference to Egypt.<\/p>\n
Under the citizenship law, an Indonesian woman, for instance,
\ncannot sponsor her expatriate husband and their children. So if
\nthe husband cannot secure work in the country, he must leave,
\npreventing the family from living a normal life.<\/p>\n
An Indonesian wife cannot claim her children either if a
\ndivorce takes place as children of mixed marriages are
\nautomatically given the father's citizenship, nor can she
\nbequeath her wealth to her children.<\/p>\n
There is no record of the number of mixed marriages in the
\ncountry, but in Jakarta alone, at least 300 new mixed marriages
\nare registered every year.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives recently decided to revise the
\ncitizenship law. However, the only \"progress\" in the draft law
\nproposed is that the children of an Indonesian woman and
\nexpatriate man may be granted Indonesian citizenship, but only if
\nit is agreed upon in a prenuptial agreement.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bride-deposit-draws-scorn-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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