…the logic of Indonesian nationalism is still strong. Therefore, the government must socialize the program before it is implemented,
Jakarta (MidLand) – Indonesia has so far stuck to its single citizenship system (single citizenship). However, the desire to move to a country with dual citizenship (double citizenship) still finds an echo in the diaspora.
Indonesian Minister of Law and Human Rights (Menkumham) Yasonna H. Laoly said that Indonesia will not implement dual citizenship yet, considering the points of the Youth Pledge that have been inscribed for 95 years.
From the past to the present, Indonesia has inspired the Youth Pledge, one of the points of which reads: We, the sons and daughters of Indonesia, affirm that we share one blood, the Indonesian motherland..
“On purpose joke (jokingly) I said, if Indonesian friends in the diaspora want dual citizenship, then they need a second volume of the Youth Pledge,” Yasonna said in a joint meeting with Committee III of the DPR RI.
The Minister of Law and Human Rights has admitted that the path to making Indonesia a country that adheres to dual citizenship is still a long way off. The Youth Pledge has become the historical philosophy and ideological basis of the nation, so this historical journey is hard to deny. This is also the reason why discussions on revising the citizenship law to amend dual citizenship have ended in a stalemate.
In response to the diaspora clamor for dual citizenship, the government plans to adopt a scheme similar to the Indian one, namely ‘Overseas Citizenship of India’ (OCI).
Like Indonesia, the Indian constitution does not allow its citizens to hold citizenship of both India and a foreign country at the same time. Based on the recommendations of the High Level Committee on Indian Diaspora, the local government has decided to grant Indian citizenship abroad.
People of Indian origin or people of Indian origin (PIOs) of certain categories can register for OCI. This scheme is not the same as dual citizenship because people registered as OCI do not have voting and political rights.
OCI holders receive numerous benefits, including multiple-entry and multi-use visas (multiple entry and multi-purpose visa) lifetime; exemption from reporting during the period of stay; as well as equality with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in the fields of finance, economics and education, except in the acquisition of agricultural properties or plantations.
Welcoming the diaspora
According to the Minister of Law and Human Rights, the OCI program can welcome the diaspora who have good intentions and want to come to Indonesia to develop their nation. With the implementation of this OCI, overseas-qualified Indonesian citizens can enter the country seamlessly.
“If we look at India, no brain drainedcan accommodate [diaspora]. “If there was a Silicon Valley in California, now we see a Silicon Valley in India,” Yasonna said.
If Indonesia later implements the OCI scheme, the owner will get a visa to enter Indonesia for life, but will have no political rights, so he will not be allowed to vote, be elected and will not be allowed to hold public office.
During her working visit to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Washington, DC, United States (USA) at the end of May, Yasonna also expressed this project to the diaspora. She called the OCI a win-win solution (win-win solution for everyone) for the government and the diaspora.
Indonesian Association for International Relations (AIHII) General President Agus Haryanto said the OCI is the most appropriate scheme to respond to the dual citizenship controversy. This is because the OCI scheme does not give its owners political rights so as not to violate the single citizenship system or deny a deeply rooted sense of nationalism.
“The OCI scheme is the most appropriate scheme, yes, for citizenship,” Agus told MidLand.
The OCI scheme is considered capable of bringing benefits to the country. Through this scheme, Indonesia can do so brain gain or obtain quality human resources from those who have Indonesian blood, but have other nationalities. Agus also encouraged discussion of the project.
“We will see now that the context is football, we have seen that it falls under naturalization. “Yesterday it was because we had citizenship, but with the OCI system we can get more,” he said.
Government regulations
The Minister of Law and Human Rights said that the government is preparing Government Regulations (PP) regarding the OCI scheme. The government assures that the PP will not violate the single citizenship provisions contained in Law Number 12 of 2006 regarding Indonesian citizenship. The goal is for the PP to be completed before the end of President Joko Widodo’s administration.
Meanwhile, Director General of General Legal Administration at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Cahyo Rahadian Muzhar, said that the OCI scheme is still under discussion with the relevant ministries and institutions. The discussions are still ongoing because the OCI scheme requires alignment with existing laws and regulations.
Additionally, the Director General of Immigration at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Silmy Karim, has formed a team to develop the rules for the OCI program. There are several registration requirements, considering that the system will provide a visa and permanent residence permit. They want the project to be completed quickly, but there is no denying that it needs to be a gradual process.
Signs
Agus Haryanto, who is also a lecturer at the Department of International Relations at Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed), predicts that there will be opposition from the public if the OCI scheme is actually implemented. This reflects naturalization into the Indonesian national football team (national team).
“I saw him yesterday post“In football, for example, when the national team lost, people immediately said: ‘All the local players disappeared there and were replaced through naturalization,’” he said.
So far, the logic of nationalism in Indonesian society is still strong. Therefore, the government must socialize the system before it is implemented.
The public needs to gain a thorough understanding of the OCI scheme, including basic considerations on how the scheme is implemented, so that there are no misunderstandings.
Publisher: Achmad Zaenal M
Publisher: Achmad Zaenal M
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