ual citizenship will once again be the focus of the upcoming Congress for Indonesian Diaspora this week, as demand for legal certainty remains strong and as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s pushes for human capital development.
The 5th congress of the Indonesian Diaspora Network Global (IDN Global) will open this Saturday and continue on Monday and Tuesday next week in Jakarta with around 1,700 Indonesians and people of Indonesian descent living overseas in 77 countries expected to participate.
IDN Global said the congress would discuss the most feasible options for limited dual citizenship following past opposition to its recognition.
“Options for dual citizenship vary. Apart from the existing [temporary] dual citizenship for children, dual nationality could be granted exclusively to Indonesians only and not foreigners. This option would prevent the spread of radicalism from abroad,” IDN Global deputy chairman, Said Zaidansyah, said on Monday. “So, it can be expanded with certain limitations.”
Indonesia only recognizes dual nationality for persons under the age of 18, who are typically children from mixed-nationality marriages. They are obliged to choose a nationality after reaching 18.
Members of Indonesia’s diaspora have been making demands for the recognition of dual citizenship for years. Their demands gained traction in 2016 when President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced that his administration was considering revising the 2006 Citizenship Law to allow dual citizenship for adults.
However, this announcement sparked opposition — mostly from lawmakers who cited security concerns.
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