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em>Feb. 27, p. 4

Indonesians living overseas are being called on to boost the country’s global competitiveness by marketing its potential and transferring their own knowledge for the nation’s development.

“One of the most important things in the world are relationships and Indonesians living abroad are those who have real relationships [with other countries]. They can be key in helping develop the nation,” Indonesian ambassador to the US Dino Patti Djalal said during a seminar, titled The Rising Impact of the Diaspora on Indonesia, in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Mohamad Al Arief, the president of the Indonesian Diaspora Network (IDN) in the US, said there were around 4.6 million Indonesians living overseas, who were struggling to find a way to contribute to the nation’s development, as they received no demands, either from the government or from other Indonesian diasporic communities.

Your comments:

Struggling to find a way (or ways) is certainly not the correct phrase in this context of expatriates wanting to go home, especially in the medical profession.

To get a work permit you need to be WNI (Indonesian citizen) and all your certificates should be legalized, integrated etc.

But even if all my certificates are lawful and are board certified by the collegium of one of the nations of European Community, if I went home, having added value of 30-odd years of experience, I have to do my internship as a kacung, the lowest possible grade!

All the decision, when to start (sorry there is even a waiting list), where (location), how long (in years), before I even got my legalized Indonesian integrated certificates will be decided by an ad hoc committee, somewhere in every province of Indonesia.

There are rules though, but as the saying goes, Britain rules the waves, but, Indonesian waves the rules!

The Indonesian government is not actively inviting expatriate professionals to go home. The government tacitly keeps postponing the discussion.

Lauw Sh

We are so late compared to China’s and India’s diaspora. Ambassador Dinno Patti Djalal is just following steps of those success story states on rewarding diaspora.

“Yes we are follower and the biggest Twitter user.”

Satria

After many years of control by governments with no vision, Indonesia is facing today an unprecedented brain-drain. The rise in raw materials’ prices brought with it a blessed economic development to Indonesia, which enabling more and more young and talented Indonesians to study in better universities abroad.

These talented Indonesians are getting a much better education abroad, and could be used as a source of development for Indonesia.

However, the lack of vision on behalf of the Indonesian government is leading to the opposite result.

The best Indonesians are leaving the country to study in much better institutions, and will never come back again, except in family visits in the chaotic and directionless Indonesia.

The young, talented and professional Indonesians do not return to Indonesia — not just because the country is lacking adequate infrastructure for them to further developed their skills — but the country is actively preventing them from coming back home.

It is natural for talented professional Indonesians not just to study abroad, but to gain some essential and important experience in their field of expertise.

So, they naturally apply for citizenship in the country they studied — and if they are really good — they get it and Indonesia punishes itself here by revoking the citizenship of these talented people.

Ronen Skaletzky