Is migrating from RI a solution?

Emigration consultation advertisements have become increasingly numerous since the wave of rioting began in May. With Chinese-Indonesians appearing the main target of the ads, it is feared their departure will further retard the country's economic recovery. The Jakarta Post team of Edith Hartanto, Ahmad Junaidi, Kornelius Purba, Kosasih Deradjat, Sylvia Gratia M. Nirang, Yudha Kartohadiprodjo, Arief Suhardiman and Dwi Atmanta examines the migration phenomenon.

JAKARTA (JP): "Live in a beautiful and peaceful Canada," reads an advertisement in a newspaper.

It may not hint that Indonesia, long dubbed home to friendly people, has lost its beauty and peaceful atmosphere. But for many people who sense the ghosts of the mid-May riots returning and never-ending economic uncertainty here, it cannot but answer their apprehension.

Such advertisements appear almost every day, offering migration consultation services to, among other places, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. The fact that people throng all the introductory seminars held by immigration consultants to some extent reveals that public fear is looming large.

"I am serious about leaving the country because I think it is unsafe to live here any more," Soeseno, a Chinese-Indonesian, said when attending a seminar recently. "The uncertain situation here makes it difficult for me to make a living. Besides, my company is on the brink of collapse," the 40-year-old man said.

The long history of unrest in Indonesia has seen ethnic Chinese regularly fall prey to looting and violence, regardless of the fact that they have been playing leading roles in stimulating the country's economic growth.

The National Police recorded 69 cases of unrest between May and August alone, many of which are believed to have targeted communities of Chinese descent. With prices of basic commodities spiraling, fresh riots are thought to be imminent.

"Most of my friends escaped the country soon after the mid-May riots. Some of them used tourist visas, but it's okay as long as they could get out of here," recalled Soeseno, an alumni of the University of Indonesia's school of economics.

The Directorate General of Immigration at the Ministry of Justice found that 69,837 Indonesians left the country between May 14 and May 20 and 27,616 Indonesians arrived here between May 23 and May 26.

The Coordinating Agency for National Unity has estimated some 40,000 Chinese-Indonesians fled in the wake of the unrest and are reluctant to return out of fears that fresh riots will erupt.

Australian Embassy spokesman John Milne said that his government issued 16,000 visas for Indonesians between May and August. But the figure is far lower than the same period last year when more than 37,000 visas were issued to Indonesians.

Immigration directorate spokesman Mursanudin Ghani said it was difficult to estimate the number of Indonesians who had fled and refused to come home.

"We discovered that 42,221 Indonesians were still abroad after May 26, but it doesn't mean that the number of Indonesian people who are reluctant to come back is that many. Maybe they returned in July or August or plan to come back next year," he said.

Mursanudin said the government was not seeking to prevent Indonesians from staying abroad for a long time or changing nationality.

Indonesian law says that an Indonesian will automatically lose his or her citizenship if he or she fails to report to an Indonesian embassy twice within five years.

Soeseno, a father of three, said Canada and Australia were the best places for him and his family to seek refuge.

He expressed guarded optimism that life would be better abroad, even if he had to do blue-collar jobs.

"I will take every available vacancy. I'm prepared to drive a taxi or do any other 'rough' jobs, as long as I can make a living there," said the director of a retail company.

But Indonesians who have been living thousands of miles away from their homeland for a long time are all too aware that life is not that easy in their new chosen countries.

Malik Abdullah, who went to the United States in 1963 at only 21 years old, admits that he misses Indonesia a lot.

"The country, the food, and everything else. To say the least, I'm still an Indonesian," said the employee of a big construction and engineering company.

But he plays down the racism in the U.S., saying that discrimination occurs everywhere.

"You do not need to be an Indonesian to feel discriminated against. Even in Indonesia sometimes I feel I am discriminated against," he said.

With retirement nearing, Malik is considering a return to his country, ending a long spell of living in the dreamland he will always be thankful for.

"I enjoy staying in the U.S. and am thankful that I was given the opportunity to migrate there. The best thing there is that everybody gets an opportunity to advance. There is always a reward for hard work," he says.

Returning home soon is unlikely to be on the agenda for Budi Handoko, a 31-year-old manager in a steel company who is considering a move either to Canada or New Zealand.

"I do not see the government doing anything to restore public confidence. Who will guarantee that there won't be any riots in the coming months or that the company I have been working for won't lay me off?" he raged.

Social observer Jaya Suprana sees nothing special in the exodus of Chinese-Indonesians abroad, saying it simply reflects a natural instinct of people who feel they are in danger.

"I believe they wish to come back, but only if they are convinced the situation is back to normal. This will require strict government measures against looters, rioters and other criminals," said Suprana, who is also the owner of the Semarang- based herbal medicine firm PT Jamu Jago.

Sociologist Ariel Heryanto is pessimistic that the ethnic Chinese who fled will soon fly back to Indonesia, along with their capital.

"It seems to me that the current government has no clear and consistent policy on this. Perhaps this is a reflection of its lack of unity, vision, or both," Ariel said.

"This government often makes statements that imply conflicting messages. Given such uncertainties, how can you expect the fleeing capital to return?"

Ariel, who is based in Singapore, said he was doubtful about the investment climate in Indonesia following the wave of riots in the past few months.

Abbas Adhar, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Panel Wood Producers (Apkindo), shared Ariel's view, saying he was afraid that the migration would adversely affect business activities in the country.

"Our business was lethargic, if not disrupted, for a few months after many of Apkindo members fled because of the riots," Abbas said.

"What happened in the wood panel business is just an example. I cannot imagine how much Indonesia suffered, in financial terms, because many business sectors experienced the same problem."