Tantowi Yahya. (Kompas/Raditya Helabumi)

The government should be ready to anticipate the consequences regarding its plan to allow dual citizenship, said the deputy chairman of the House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission I overseeing defense, foreign affairs and information, Tantowi Yahya.

"The government should be able to anticipate [the consequences]; don't let [ policy] threaten our ideology. A selection process must be [conducted] as not necessarily all citizens who live abroad will be allowed to obtain it," Tantowi told thejakartapost.com on Thursday.

The option of dual citizenship, said Tantowi, should only be given to those who were Indonesian descendants and who had an expertise that could bring a positive impact to the country.

He added that the plan was a good idea nevertheless, since many Indonesian citizens who had outstanding academic and sports backgrounds had become foreign citizens to have a better life.

"The first step is to set up a special committee [Pansus] to revise Law No. 12/2006 on citizenship, which will involved other commissions including commission II overseeing home affairs and commission III overseeing legal affairs," said Tantowi.

President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo made a pledge on Sunday during a gathering of more than 1,000 Indonesians living in the United States that his administration would pay more attention to the growing role of the Indonesian diaspora and seek a way to allow dual citizenship for Indonesian citizens and their families who have permanently settled overseas.

Existing regulations do not allow Indonesians to have dual citizenship. If an Indonesian is awarded citizenship in another country, the person'€™s Indonesian citizenship is automatically declared invalid.

Some 8 million Indonesians are estimated to be living overseas. (kes)(+)

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