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Brain drain: Calls mount for dual citizenship in Indonesia
Indonesia has seen a wave of young people between 25 to 35 years old emigrating to Singapore.
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According to the 2006 Citizenship Law, Indonesia does not recognize dual citizenship, except for in the case of children of one Indonesian and one non-Indonesian parent, who may hold their dual citizenship until the age of 17, after which they have three years to register their preferred nationality. (Shutterstock/Alii Sher)
A
t the tail end of his master’s degree course in Singapore, 24-year-old Bagas from South Tangerang, Banten, ponders if he should stay to work there or return home.
“I’m still looking for a job, but if I do get one, then I’ll take it,” Bagas, an information systems student at one of Singapore’s renowned public universities, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Bagas is not the only one who thinks so.
Indonesia has seen a wave of young people between 25 to 35 years old emigrating to Singapore, reaching almost 4,000 people from 2019 to 2022, according to Immigration Director General Silmy Karim in July.
Last year even saw 1,091 new Singaporeans coming from Indonesia, higher than around 800 people in 2020.
The news caused a stir on social media, with many Indonesians supporting those who seek better welfare and work opportunities abroad.
But concerns about a “brain drain” also arise, as the country’s vision of becoming a developed nation by 2045, a century after independence, hinges on skilled young people being the backbone of Indonesia's long-term development.
