Immigration rules and rulers<\/p>\n
Expatriates of all social categories and origins cannot expect
\nany improvements from Immigration officials after the speech
\ndelivered by their boss, Ihza Yusril Mahendra the other day. Even
\na Justice Minister under Soeharto such as Ismail Saleh (around
\n1990) was more open-minded.<\/p>\n
Indonesians who have already traveled have witnessed the
\ndefinition of the globalization era while walking the streets.
\nPeople come from everywhere and are fully integrated. Of course,
\nan influx of immigrants is not easy to manage. There is currently
\nvery heated debate on this issue in my country, Belgium.<\/p>\n
It is rather shocking that the Justice Minister, who claims to
\nbe a democrat, is still warning that his country will not accept
\nimmigrants (without saying why) and will only accept foreigners
\nbringing advantages (like under Soeharto, money is still number
\none, skills are not the main point here!), and who are not a
\nthreat to the country.<\/p>\n
During eight years of residence in Indonesia (1992-2000), my
\ntwo Eurasian children and I have had various types of visa,
\nincluding tourist, social cultural, business, Kitas (temporary
\nstay) and UN diplomatic visas. So I know what I am talking about!
\nWhen the Soeharto era ended most civil servants were hoping for a
\nsimplification of the immigration procedures concerning the
\nsocial visit visa, as well as for a substantial increase of their
\nsalaries such as the one proposed two months ago. So far, we all
\nhave seen no improvement at all.<\/p>\n
When I was in Indonesia most people like me -- Westerners --
\nwere bringing benefits to Indonesia and its people. Most of us
\nwere employing Indonesians, but were unable to get a work permit
\nourselves. We did not even dream about getting one.<\/p>\n
However, I was harassed on a continuous basis over social
\nvisit visa procedures. My Sundanese wife in Belgium has a 5-year
\nstay permit under the form of a resident identity card for
\nforeigners. No hassle at all from our immigration divisions,
\nbecause we are legally married! A legal marriage is adequate
\nenough to get a stay permit allowing us to work and feed our
\nfamilies.<\/p>\n
Many expatriates in Indonesia are self-employed and it is very
\ncomplicated to arrange a work permit because the barriers and
\nconditions to getting a Kitas legally are far too substantial.
\nIn my case, I do not see how I could do something that an
\nIndonesian could not do.<\/p>\n
The fact that only expatriate women married to Indonesian men
\ncan get a stay permit is discriminative and this has nothing to
\ndo with a so-called patrilinear system, which we also apply in
\nWestern cultures without having to discriminate against women
\nfrom the immigration point of view.<\/p>\n
YVAN MAGAIN<\/p>\n
Tubize, Belgium<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/immigration-rules-and-rulers-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }