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View all search resultsA xenophobic turn
Our past presidents used anti-foreigner narratives only to sustain power that enabled them to remain in office for decades.
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An illustration of a dictionary entry of “disinformation“ (Shutterstock/Casimiro PT)
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enophobia is creeping into Indonesia, encouraged by no less than our government, for example, through its latest plan to introduce a new law to counter foreign disinformation and propaganda. More worrisome than undermining Indonesia’s international standing and relations with other countries, some of the measures planned will undermine many of our freedoms, including free speech, and they are detrimental to democracy.
Since he took power in October 2024, President Prabowo Subianto has on more than one occasion warned about foreign forces undermining Indonesia’s development and its current rise as a middle power. He has accused civil society organizations that receive foreign funds, and some national media outlets, of working for the interests of their foreign donors.
Now his ministers are getting in on the act, in the typical “jump, how high?” fashion.
Coordinating Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Minister Yusril Izha Mahendra says he is working on the bill on foreign disinformation and propaganda.
Deputy Human Rights Minister Mugiyanto adds that the government is planning to set aside funding from the state budget to finance civil society groups to replace foreign donations so that they become less vulnerable to being “dictated to by foreign interests”. He implied that foreign funding for NGOS, already subject to tight government scrutiny, would be stopped completely.
Whether by design or not, the anti-foreigner narrative coming from the government can only accelerate the growth of xenophobia in our society. We can only imagine the sentiment growing further when these and other measures are put in place.
Indonesia does not have an immigration issue, yet xenophobia whipped up by the government could easily match that growing in the United States, Australia and many European countries that are struggling with the issue.
