Indonesian-Americans are divided on U.S. election

Indonesian-Americans are divided on U.S. election

Yenni Djahidin, The Jakarta Post, Washington

In one of the closest presidential races ever in American
history, the Republican and Democratic parties are vying to court
as many voters as possible, including new immigrants. In key
states where the race is close, both parties are trying to woo
new voters with plans that appeal to them.

As for those of Indonesian ethnicity, only a few possess
American citizenship.

Some Indonesians are U.S. citizens because they were born
here. Others married Americans and changed their citizenship,
while a few have resided in the country long enough to be
eligible for and have processed their naturalization. However,
they have been difficult to locate -- or they did not want to be
publicly identified.

"Many people still look at Indonesians who took up U.S.
citizenship as pengkhianat (traitor)," said Sahir Kadir.

The 57-year-old had moved in 1972 to New Orleans, Louisiana,
as a student. He then moved to Washington D.C. and opened an
Indonesian restaurant before founding a travel agency, Discount
Travel Kita. Kadir later applied to become a U.S. citizen, which
became possible under a ruling that permitted foreigners to apply
for citizenship if they had spent at least three years in the
States as a permanent resident.

Kadir said that, as an American, his voice was heard and he
was able to promote Indonesia more. "I was invited to promote
Indonesian food and culture at the U.S. Congress, the White House
and other American institutions," the father of four said in a
telephone interview.

He has always voted since he was naturalized in 1982. This
time, he said, he would vote for Democratic Party candidate
Senator John Kerry.

"John Kerry cares about social issues, health care and the
economy," said Kadir, who added that he was proud of the direct
presidential election in Indonesia.

"Like in the U.S., the new election system in Indonesia
exposes candidates to potential voters," he said. "We can check
their records."

Unlike Kadir, 29-year-old Boyke Hutabarat said he was leaning
toward President George W. Bush. Hutabarat, a realtor who lives
in Virginia, said he did not like either candidate.

"Kerry doesn't seem to be an honest man. He's too much of a
politician," he said. "Bush is too much of a cowboy. He's too
aggressive and he doesn't like to work with other nations."

Hutabarat moved to the U.S. in 1982 with his parents. This is
his second presidential election since he and his family became
American citizens in 1998.

Hutabarat claims to be more Republican than Democrat, and said
he believed in the policies of less government, an open economy
and tax cuts. He predicted that President Bush would be
reelected.

However, his wife, Naomi, is still undecided. Naomi's
biological parents were Indonesian, but her adoptive parents are
American.

Hutabarat also said his younger sister had an opposite view to
his, so they frequently got into heated debates at home.

Like Hutabarat, George Tirajoh, who was born in the U.S. in
1962 to Indonesian parents, also says he is a Republican. Tirajoh
first voted when Ronald Reagan ran for office, and has since
voted for Republican Party candidates.

"President Reagan was a good example of a Republican. He was a
conservative, and I'm a conservative person too," Tirajoh said,
but he admitted that he voted for a Democratic Party candidate
when Bill Clinton ran for office.

Tirajoh founded the Indonesian-American Society and is married
to an Indonesian woman from Manado, North Sulawesi.

According to a recent survey, a majority of the three million
Asian-American voters will likely choose Kerry over Bush.

New California Media, which conducted the survey, found that
Kerry leads Bush among Asian-Americans at 43 percent to 36
percent, a significant gap in favor of the Democrats, but a good
deal smaller than the 14 percent margin four years ago. Outside
of California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington state and New York
City, the Asian-American vote has generally been considered
proportionately too small for national politicians to heed and
cultivate.

Meanwhile, Isa Ismail, 63, says he would definitely vote this
year, but would not say for whom. Ismail, who works at Voice of
America, predicts that Senator Kerry would win.

"I think Kerry may win because there's an upsurge of voter
dissatisfaction with the Bush administration's Iraq policy and in
health care issues, which affect millions of older and retired
people," he said. He has never participated in an Indonesian
election.

Ismail left Indonesia in 1984 after a dispute with the
Indonesian Military. He formerly worked for the Jakarta bureau of
United Press International, Agence France Presse and Reuters.

Ismail became a naturalized citizen after working for VOA for
several years.