Foreign husbands and human rights

Foreign husbands and human rights

The letter from Hario Subayu (The Jakarta Post of March 11, 1995) was a precise, prompt and respectful answer to the three gentlemen regarding visas, work permits and human rights.

The trio of Kevin J. Dunphy (Feb.28, 1995), George Goring (March 2, 1995) and Ulrich O. Zimmer (March 10,1995) should understand that the Indonesian laws, rules and regulations that are applied to entry, work permits, residency and citizenship are no more complicated , strict or harsh than those applied by many other countries in the world.

Dunphy states that he left New York on the advice of one person to get married in Indonesia. It is obvious here that anybody who can take such a big step without thoroughly checking the facts in detail will suffer some disappointment. I have no sympathy for him.

Goring then gave us a childish rhyme about illegitimate children. To say that his poetry was distasteful would be an understatement. However, his basic facts were correct.

Zimmer's unsubstantiated, snide remark about a current member of cabinet, even though an example, were scandalous. Zimmer should be sufficiently experienced with the Indonesian way of life, after nine years in this country, to know that it is considered indecent to throw abuse at government officials, with words such as "ignorance," "technocratism," "narrowness" and "an absolute disgrace for Indonesia", especially when he is guest in this country.

Zimmer seems to think that, together with Dunphy and Goring, they should be treated as "special" and not "ordinary" foreigners because they have sired children with Indonesian wives. The local male population is quite capable of taking care of the population boom themselves.

If Zimmer is sincere and serious about being, in his words, "one of those unfortunate foreigners who are no more orang asing (foreigner) here than in their country of origin and have no place to go," then he is entitled for Indonesian citizenship, or at least he is entitled to apply.

My advice to Zimmer is as follows. After your KIM/S, and the required residency period, apply for your KIM/T as it is commonly known. The "T" stands for tetap (permanent). Unless you work for a company with money to burn, the cost of this will leave a sizable hole in your bank account, so you must be sincere. Your application for citizenship, I believe, will be treated fairly and the fact that you have been legally married to an Indonesian citizen for the past 18 years and have children born in Indonesia will certainly be in your favor.

Then you must renounce or give up any other citizenship that you currently hold because, as an Indonesian citizen and under Indonesian law you cannot be a dual national.

If you are an Australian citizen, as is the case with George Goring and his children the revocation and cancellation of Australian citizenship will be done automatically by the Australian Department of Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs on the date of obtaining Indonesian citizenship for both the parent and the children.

You would then become subject to the rules and regulations governing foreigners in your own country, should you wish to visit or stay.

So, Zimmer, if you do decide to take this very important step, I for one, sincerely hope that you do not write any letters of complaint concerning your rights as an Indonesian citizen.

Having had the best of both worlds your case would be closed.

ROY A. HURST

Bogor, West Java