The Trend Of Escape Of Aja Used To Go Viral, A Form Of Collective Disappointment Of The Young Generation Against The Chaos Of The State

JAKARTA The hashtag #KaburAjaDulu continues to be in the spotlight in the past few months. The condition in the country, which is seen by some as increasingly chaotic, is said to be behind the virality of this hashtag.

Dodi Romdani, Head of Sukamulya Village, Purwadadi District, Ciamis Regency, West Java, chose to resign from his position and work in Japan.

This was confirmed by the Head of the Legal Division of the Regional Secretariat of the Ciamis Regency Government, Deden Nurhadana. He said, Dodi had submitted his resignation in 2024 and is now working in Japan.

According to Deden, there is nothing wrong with Dodi's decision even though he has served almost six years as the Head of the Sukamulya Village. Dodi actually still has a term of office two years ago after a term of extension to eight years.

Dodi's decision to leave his position to later become an Indonesian worker (TKI) in Japan was linked to the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu. Dodi is said to have been carried away by the #KaburAjaDulu current, although according to Deden's statement he has been going to Japan since last year.

The trend of #KaburAjaDulu has been widely used on X, formerly Twitter. According to Drone Emprit's monitoring agency, the social media monitoring agency, this trend has started to echo since January 2025, starting from the @amourXexa account.

But another source said this hashtag began to appear on social media X since December 2024. Initially, the emergence of #KaburAjaDulu was a constructive discussion room. Active social media users actively share tips on getting jobs abroad, scholarship information, salary forecasts, to deep insight into cultural adaptation challenges in destination countries.

However, the dynamics of using this hashtag has shifted drastically recently. #KaburAjaDulu turned into a manifestation of the collective disappointment of the younger generation towards domestic conditions.

According to Drone Emprit's monitoring, this hashtag is the reaction of netizens to the latest issues that have occurred in Indonesia. Starting from economic conditions, declining quality of life, and a series of government policies that are considered not pro-people, including access to difficult education.

In the past week, people have also been made difficult with the policy of banning the sale of 3 kg LPG gas by retailers, and continued with budget efficiency in various ministries/agencies by President Prabowo Subianto who sparked polemics.

From the results of observations, it appears that this hashtag is dominated by the 19-29 year age group, reaching 50.8 percent.

Sociologist from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Arie Sujito said the narrative contains an invitation to leave the country as a reflection of public confusion over the current conditions in the country.

The recent social, political and economic problems have confused residents.

Arie gave an example of the government's policy of lifting restrictions on the distribution of 3 kg LPG gas which was carried out suddenly, legal certainty issues, such as in the case of the sea fence, as well as the problem of cutting government budgets that are sticking out in the public.

"There are policy changes at the state level that make uncertainty," said Arie.

He considered that the government should take this problem seriously. Arie does not mind the middle class groups who want to leave the country, which according to him has more options in life. Arie actually focuses the fate of the lower class group.

"People who don't have many choices are at risk of having a vulnerability if this country doesn't change," said Arie.

Meanwhile, presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has his own opinion on the recent viral #KaburAjaDulu trend.

Through a post on social media X, Anies said, Indonesian love is not just proud when the country is doing well. According to him, nationalism is being tested when the country is facing many challenges, it needs change. He made an analogy of the current conditions, such as one-sided applause.

"But it's very natural that sometimes we feel tired. The fight without rest can feel heavy. It's like one-sided applause, already trying to love, but it feels like there is no reply. So it's okay to take a break. It doesn't mean giving up, it's just by giving your breath to yourself, we can come back with a better energy," said Anies.

To love Indonesia, Anies added, it takes patience and fortitude like the founders of the nation long before independence.

Anies gave an example of the fighters in 1908 and 1928, some of whom had no time or had never seen Indonesia be independent but they continued to move forward even though they were considered high dreams, dreams in broad daylight.

"And their struggles are like marathons, and relays that are used as one. Change but still move forward," said the former governor of DKI Jakarta.

Anies Baswedan also said that Indonesian love has nothing to do with the location of residence. In fact, many national figures have lived abroad for a long time but still contribute to Indonesia.

"So nationalism is not a matter where we live, but how do we continue to provide the slightest benefit to this country," he said, while inviting young people who have the opportunity to go abroad to leave the country but continue to contribute to Indonesia.

The #KaburAjaDu trend that is currently viral on social media is also associated with the phenomenon of the drainage brain, which is a condition when Indonesian talents choose to move to other countries, even changing citizenship. This is done in order to achieve better standard of living, education, and career path abroad.

According to data from the Central Statistics Agency of Indonesia (BPS), as many as 7.47 residents of productive age are still unemployed as of August 2024.

Meanwhile, the average salary of workers in the country is only around Rp. 3.27 million, a figure that is far from sufficient to meet basic needs such as housing, education, and health.

These two facts further emphasize that the state has not been able to provide adequate job opportunities and welfare. Those who have expertise and opportunity, the choice of becoming migrant workers abroad looks more promising.

If the #KaburAjaDulu trend continues and the government does not immediately respond with concrete policies, Indonesia has the potential to lose superior human resources (HR).

This can have a chain effect, ranging from a slowdown in economic growth in strategic sectors, a decrease in investment, a decrease in tax revenues, an increase in tax withdrawals, fewer jobs, to a wider gap in the quality of education with other countries.