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Ministry wants diaspora to help convince lawmakers of dual citizenship
The Foreign Ministry has called on the Indonesian diaspora to actively take part in convincing the House of Representatives to allow dual citizenship to help overcome an impasse over the controversial plan.
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IDN Global estimates that the Indonesian diaspora numbers around 8 million people. (Shutterstock/File)
The Foreign Ministry has called on the Indonesian diaspora to actively take part in convincing the House of Representatives to allow dual citizenship to help overcome an impasse over the controversial plan.
Dewi Savitri Wahab, the ministry’s expert for social culture and empowerment of Indonesians abroad, said the government was well aware of the Indonesian diaspora’s hopes for dual citizenship that could grant them legal certainty.
However, the government’s plan to revise the 2006 Citizenship Law to allow dual citizenship in 2016 has been met with opposition from lawmakers, who cited security concerns. Dual nationality also remains unpopular among some Indonesians at home, who consider it a kind of disloyalty.
“The regulation has not changed. […] We need consensus among all stakeholders in this country,” Dewi said at the fifth congress of the Indonesian Diaspora Network Global (IDN Global) in Jakarta on Saturday.
She urged IDN Global to start taking real action, adding that “complaining” alone through such a biennial congress would not solve the problem.
“There must be intensive discussions involving all major stakeholders. [The diaspora] should provide scientific and convincing arguments to assure lawmakers over the benefits [of dual nationality],” Dewi said.
