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View all search resultsLeaving Indonesia, loving Indonesia: A path for diaspora
For a nation confident in its future, leaving Indonesia and loving Indonesia are not opposites—they are two sides of a dynamic global identity.
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Members of the Indonesian diaspora interact with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on May 27 during Eid al-Adha celebrations at the Indonesian Residence in Paris. (Antara/Handout/Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau)
T
he debate surrounding young Indonesians dreaming of a life abroad - and President Prabowo Subianto’s blunt response that those who are unhappy should simply leave - has been framed as a stark clash. In reality, these perspectives are far easier to reconcile than they appear. Both reflect an uncomfortable yet crucial reality: Indonesians today possess more global mobility and choices than ever before.
Many young people are understandably restless. They worry about stagnant wages, housing affordability, career ceilings and underperforming public services. Naturally, some question whether a brighter future lies across borders. Yet this sentiment is hardly unique to Indonesia; ambitious youth throughout history have moved toward opportunity.
The mistake lies in assuming that a desire to leave translates to a lack of love for the homeland. Patriotism has never required physical proximity. One can love a country deeply while choosing to build a life elsewhere. By the same token, there is nothing wrong with asserting that those seeking international experience should be free to do so. A confident nation does not fear its citizens’ mobility.
Indeed, Indonesia suffers less from excessive emigration than from an insufficient global footprint. Compared to countries like India and the Philippines - whose diasporas serve as massive economic, cultural and geopolitical engines - Indonesia’s overseas population remains surprisingly small relative to its total demographic weight.
The central question, then, is not whether Indonesians should leave or stay, but why they go.
There is a profound difference between a young engineer moving to Germany to work at the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing and one leaving simply because she feels there is no viable future at home. The former represents ambition and confidence; the latter signals systemic frustration and squandered talent. Indonesia must strive to encourage the first while addressing the root causes of the second.
Regardless of what drives people abroad, migration is no longer a one-way journey. Digital connectivity and modern transport allow people to live overseas while remaining deeply tied to their homeland.
