The issue of dual citizenship has been at the forefront in Indonesia this week following President Joko Widodo’s dismissal of Energy and Natural Resources (ESDM) Minister Arcandra Tahar after it came to light that Arcandra held a US passport and was thus no longer an Indonesian citizen.

A similar problem arose when the media found out that Gloria Natapradja Hamel, a 16-year-old member of the prestigious national flag-hoisting team (Paskibraka) also held a French passport. After the news broke, Gloria was forbidden from participating in the flag raising ceremony at the State Palace on Independence Day, but after public outcry, President Jokowi allowed her to take part in the flag lowering ceremony later in the day instead.

Arcandra’s dismissal just 19 days after his appointment as ESDM Minister was obviously a huge embarrassment for Jokowi’s administration, but his softened stance on Gloria shows that there might be room to maneuver and turn around the issue of dual citizenship.

Statements by two of Jokowi’s senior ministers would seem to indicate that his administration, rather than shying away from the it, are going to try to reframe it as a nationalist issue, with dual citizenship being a way to bring Indonesia’s best and brightest abroad back home.



Yesterday, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan (who is also temporarily taking on the responsibilities of EDSM until a replacement for Arcandra can be appointed) talked to the media about the need to do more to attract Indonesians living overseas to return home to help the country’s development. He specifically referenced 24 Indonesians professors currently living in America who had expressed interest in coming back to their homeland.

“These are the kinds of people we need to accept with open arms. Do not argue over rules that we can still change. What we want is the best sons and daughters of Indonesia to work with future generations to make Indonesia better than my generation,” he said, as quoted by Tribunnews.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Tjahjo Kumolo, made similar statements this morning in regards to the dismissal of Arcandra. He asked that people not see only the negative side of the scandal, but also look at the president’s intent in choosing Arcandra, which was to get the best Indonesian for the job, even if he had lived for many years outside of the country.

“Pak Jokowi wants to bring back smart people living abroad, to help rebuild Indonesia,” Tjahjo said today as quoted by Vivanews.

Tjahjo pointed to examples such as former president BJ Habibie and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani as examples of Indonesians who have lived abroad for many years but came back to help build their country.

Of course, these statements alone do not necessarily mean that Jokowi’s administration will be actively pursuing the legalization of dual citizenship. However, in the past the president himself promised members of the Indonesian diaspora that he would support a bill that would do just that.

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