Who's afraid of election? Expats just taking a holiday
Who's afraid of election? Expats just taking a holiday
By Mehru Jaffer
JAKARTA (JP): Now who is afraid of the first free and fair
general election in the country after nearly four decades?
"It's certainly not us," chorus a group of expat housewives
furiously buying up local handicrafts at the very posh Pasaraya
shopping mall in South Jakarta.
Yes, they are all busy looking for gifts for people back home,
they add, but they do this every summer before going on home
leave at the end of the school year. Hosting garage sales,
getting rid of the family car and recommending loyal members of
domestic staff to families staying on in Jakarta are activities
that frequently take place during this part of the year.
The one difference, perhaps, is that many more expats will
leave the country for good this time round.
"But can you call that fleeing the country before the June 7
election?" questioned Danielle Surkatty, member of the organizing
committee for the Living in Indonesia website for expats.
Most expats like Danielle insist that they are going away for
the summer only because it is vacation time while many more are
leaving this year as they don't have any business left.
At the peak of the economic boom, there were said to be over
60,000 expats all over the country. This number fell by almost
half as the ongoing economic crunch has forced many to lose their
jobs here and not because expats have abandoned a city that they
once called home.
Ati who has a beauty parlor in the Pondok Indah area of South
Jakarta says that she has already lost 75 percent of her foreign
customers in recent months. The International Community and
Activity Center which has functioned here as a home away from
home for expats for decades had its membership drop from a
healthy 3,000 to about 500. Most executive clubs and sports
centers that quoted exorbitant dollar fees in the past have
thrown open their doors to anyone interested in using their fancy
facilities by paying a nominal fee readily accepted these days
even in rupiah.
The Jakarta International School was forced to cancel its
summertime activities as not enough people signed up to
participate in an event that was a regular feature till today.
Proof that the city is being emptied of its expat community is
evident all over as sprawling houses and luxurious service
apartments wear a deserted look and are up for sale and rent at
tearfully low prices.
Inquiries made at apartment buildings in the Pondok Indah area
reveal that accommodation often has no fixed price anymore. "Tell
me your budget and I will adjust the rent especially for you," is
a typical reply of most of the staff trying desperately to market
accommodation to a dwindling community of tenants.
"I know somebody whose family is the only one left in a large
housing complex," informed Sarwat, a Pakistani expat who wonders
if the city is being deserted only because of the coming
elections or because people can't afford to continue living here
without a job.
In a public announcement to all its citizens, the American
embassy warned that they should exercise prudence and common
sense in all parts of Indonesia and avoid demonstrations and
other situations that could turn violent. It is felt that the
political and economic situation is unsettled and is likely to
remain so leading up to the June 7 parliamentary election and the
selection of a new president a few months later. The embassy also
said that many Americans normally resident in Indonesia are
choosing to depart the country at or prior to the completion of
the school year in May and to remain out of the country through
the election period and its immediate aftermath.
A long-time expat in Jakarta who didn't want his name in print
said that his wife and son will leave on May 19 while he will
take a break only in June. According to the voluntary evacuation
plan announced by the oil company he works for, the staff is
encouraged to send dependents out of the country by mid-month,
before the formal campaign period begins on May 19. The company,
which has 16 operations all over Indonesia, has already
distributed air tickets and if staff members are unable to return
to Indonesia for a longer period of time, they have been promised
a daily allowance to stay away. The idea is to avoid the chaos
and panic that existed last May when the company found it
difficult to hire jet planes at short notice and paid through its
nose to keep its employees in an expensive place like Singapore.
Many expats feel, however, that panic is also spread through
reports such as the police urging residents to remain indoors
during the campaign period or that the police are not responsible
for the security of everyone in the city.
"The local schools took us by surprise by suddenly deciding to
close down a whole month before the annual examination, creating
much confusion and uncertainty among us all," complained
Danielle, who has three children attending local schools.
Children are expected to start vacation on May 17 and to return
by mid-June to take the year-end examination.
Danielle' s worry is that the children might remember little
of their studies after the long holiday period. She wished the
bureaucracy at the ministry of education had planned on
accelerating the school hours to complete courses and the
examination in mid-May instead of closing now and examining the
children after a vacation.
It is rather overwhelming for both locals and expats to see
almost daily a cavalcade of election campaigners crowding major
streets or thundering past on motorcycles in a city that was
almost apolitical for many decades. The political rallies cause
traffic congestion around the Senayan complex almost every
weekend now and are looked upon with interest by some expats and
considered a nuisance by others. Many are curious to see what the
city will suffer once all the 48 parties contesting the coming
elections will spill out onto the street.
The Australian Embassy warns of a possibility of disturbances
stemming from the heightened level of political activity in the
lead up to and directly following the June 7 election. The recent
bombing of the Istiqlal Mosque is a reminder of the sensitivity
of political and religious issues in Indonesia, said an embassy
circular which also insists that citizens remain vigilant of
their surroundings at all times and to keep themselves abreast of
the situation by monitoring the local media.
Concerned over the increase in petty crime, thefts and
assaults committed in taxis and in person over the last year,
citizens are cautioned to be extremely careful. American
officials also worry about demonstrations at large American firms
associated with high visibility projects as well as incidents of
trespass and vandalism in some parts of the country. It is
pointed out that security forces have sometimes not responded
effectively to incidents of unrest.
Despite all the bad news regarding the deteriorating law and
order situation in the city, the British International School has
decided to go ahead with a three-week summer course in August for
children between the age of five and 18 years. And enough expats
were found here for whom the question to stay or not to stay just
did not arise.
"I may not have an Indonesian passport but this is where my
work is, this is where my family is. I am not going anywhere,"
said Tikoo, an Indian who made Jakarta his home a long time ago.
He has been around in the good times and promises to stay on even
if the going threatens to be a bit rough in the coming days.