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.