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Medan expats enjoy Indonesian life
Members of the Medan expatriate community have expressed their happiness about living long term in Indonesia, but they regard corruption and poor human resource development as drawbacks
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embers of the Medan expatriate community have expressed their happiness about living long term in Indonesia, but they regard corruption and poor human resource development as drawbacks.
They say the government will need to improve on these issues in the future.
They are positive that if corruption were eradicated and human resource development improved, Indonesia would grow into a wealthy and developed nation in the near future.
A light moment: Three expatriates who work with a conservation foundation chat in their office in Medan, North Sumatra.They said the government had not optimized the development of human resources. JP/Apriadi
Expatriate Graham Usher from Great Britain said he had been moving from one province to another in Indonesia for the past 32 years.
He said that as an archipelagic nation, Indonesia had a great abundance of natural resources but unfortunately these had not been fully tapped.
Consequently, he added, the entire populace did not share equally in the benefits of Indonesia’s wealth. Usher considered the main reason was corruption. Human resource development, was another area where many challenges remained.
“We believe that the main challenges in building Indonesia are corruption eradication and human resource development,” Usher told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Usher said he was optimistic about the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Indonesia. He expressed hope that the institution would be able to work professionally in combatting corruption in the country.
“I’m in favor of the KPK,” said Usher, adding his support for the KPK was a manifestation of his love for Indonesia.
Usher prefers living in Indonesia rather than his native Ipswich, England, because Indonesia is peaceful and its people are friendly.
“I’ve stayed in Indonesia longer than in my own hometown,” he said, claiming to have lived in Indonesia for 32 years but only 21 years in England.
He acknowledged that it would be hard to leave Indonesia and he would like to stay and work longer here.
Usher, who currently works as a conservation consultant at Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari, an environmental foundation in Medan, North Sumatra, said he earned a higher salary compared to local residents.
However, for the father of three, the salary he received here would not be adequate to meet the needs of his family in England.
“I send a large portion of my pay here to my family in England. It turns out that the salary here is not that much when spent in England,” said Usher, adding that he still does not own a car after working in Medan for almost two years and stays in company accommodation.
Asked about his feeling over the news of riots taking place in a number of provinces in Indonesia, or reports on the stabbing of an American citizen in Medan lately, Usher said he was not afraid because such things could happen anywhere.
“I don’t see it as a threat for foreigners staying here. If a person is not careful, or unlucky, it could happen to anyone,” said Usher.
Another Briton, Ian Singleton, who has been living in Indonesia for 17 years, said many expatriates liked to stay and work in Indonesia and marry Indonesians.
“My wife is Indonesian. We have been blessed with two children,” said Singleton who lives in the Setia Budi Indah housing complex in Medan.
Singleton added that he had no difficulties in socializing with local residents because he was married to an Indonesian.
Estimating the number of expatriates living in Medan, Singleton felt there could be hundreds, including those from other European countries, adding that a large number of them work in the plantation, manufacturing and education sectors.
