Is migrating from RI a solution?

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."