Indonesian-Americans are divided on U.S. election<\/p>\n
Yenni Djahidin, The Jakarta Post, Washington<\/p>\n
In one of the closest presidential races ever in American
\nhistory, the Republican and Democratic parties are vying to court
\nas many voters as possible, including new immigrants. In key
\nstates where the race is close, both parties are trying to woo
\nnew voters with plans that appeal to them.<\/p>\n
As for those of Indonesian ethnicity, only a few possess
\nAmerican citizenship.<\/p>\n
Some Indonesians are U.S. citizens because they were born
\nhere. Others married Americans and changed their citizenship,
\nwhile a few have resided in the country long enough to be
\neligible for and have processed their naturalization. However,
\nthey have been difficult to locate -- or they did not want to be
\npublicly identified.<\/p>\n
\"Many people still look at Indonesians who took up U.S.
\ncitizenship as pengkhianat (traitor),\" said Sahir Kadir.<\/p>\n
The 57-year-old had moved in 1972 to New Orleans, Louisiana,
\nas a student. He then moved to Washington D.C. and opened an
\nIndonesian restaurant before founding a travel agency, Discount
\nTravel Kita. Kadir later applied to become a U.S. citizen, which
\nbecame possible under a ruling that permitted foreigners to apply
\nfor citizenship if they had spent at least three years in the
\nStates as a permanent resident.<\/p>\n
Kadir said that, as an American, his voice was heard and he
\nwas able to promote Indonesia more. \"I was invited to promote
\nIndonesian food and culture at the U.S. Congress, the White House
\nand other American institutions,\" the father of four said in a
\ntelephone interview.<\/p>\n
He has always voted since he was naturalized in 1982. This
\ntime, he said, he would vote for Democratic Party candidate
\nSenator John Kerry.<\/p>\n
\"John Kerry cares about social issues, health care and the
\neconomy,\" said Kadir, who added that he was proud of the direct
\npresidential election in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Like in the U.S., the new election system in Indonesia
\nexposes candidates to potential voters,\" he said. \"We can check
\ntheir records.\"<\/p>\n
Unlike Kadir, 29-year-old Boyke Hutabarat said he was leaning
\ntoward President George W. Bush. Hutabarat, a realtor who lives
\nin Virginia, said he did not like either candidate.<\/p>\n
\"Kerry doesn't seem to be an honest man. He's too much of a
\npolitician,\" he said. \"Bush is too much of a cowboy. He's too
\naggressive and he doesn't like to work with other nations.\"<\/p>\n
Hutabarat moved to the U.S. in 1982 with his parents. This is
\nhis second presidential election since he and his family became
\nAmerican citizens in 1998.<\/p>\n
Hutabarat claims to be more Republican than Democrat, and said
\nhe believed in the policies of less government, an open economy
\nand tax cuts. He predicted that President Bush would be
\nreelected.<\/p>\n
However, his wife, Naomi, is still undecided. Naomi's
\nbiological parents were Indonesian, but her adoptive parents are
\nAmerican.<\/p>\n
Hutabarat also said his younger sister had an opposite view to
\nhis, so they frequently got into heated debates at home.<\/p>\n
Like Hutabarat, George Tirajoh, who was born in the U.S. in
\n1962 to Indonesian parents, also says he is a Republican. Tirajoh
\nfirst voted when Ronald Reagan ran for office, and has since
\nvoted for Republican Party candidates.<\/p>\n
\"President Reagan was a good example of a Republican. He was a
\nconservative, and I'm a conservative person too,\" Tirajoh said,
\nbut he admitted that he voted for a Democratic Party candidate
\nwhen Bill Clinton ran for office.<\/p>\n
Tirajoh founded the Indonesian-American Society and is married
\nto an Indonesian woman from Manado, North Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
According to a recent survey, a majority of the three million
\nAsian-American voters will likely choose Kerry over Bush.<\/p>\n
New California Media, which conducted the survey, found that
\nKerry leads Bush among Asian-Americans at 43 percent to 36
\npercent, a significant gap in favor of the Democrats, but a good
\ndeal smaller than the 14 percent margin four years ago. Outside
\nof California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington state and New York
\nCity, the Asian-American vote has generally been considered
\nproportionately too small for national politicians to heed and
\ncultivate.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Isa Ismail, 63, says he would definitely vote this
\nyear, but would not say for whom. Ismail, who works at Voice of
\nAmerica, predicts that Senator Kerry would win.<\/p>\n
\"I think Kerry may win because there's an upsurge of voter
\ndissatisfaction with the Bush administration's Iraq policy and in
\nhealth care issues, which affect millions of older and retired
\npeople,\" he said. He has never participated in an Indonesian
\nelection.<\/p>\n
Ismail left Indonesia in 1984 after a dispute with the
\nIndonesian Military. He formerly worked for the Jakarta bureau of
\nUnited Press International, Agence France Presse and Reuters.<\/p>\n
Ismail became a naturalized citizen after working for VOA for
\nseveral years.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-americans-are-divided-on-us-election-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}