Why Is Indonesia's Passport Losing Sakti Compared To Timor Leste?

Indonesian Passports are ranked 66th at The Henley Passport Index 2024. (Passport Index)

JAKARTA Traveling the world is everyone's dream. Apart from funds that are almost unlimited, someone also needs a passport to be able to travel the world. But unfortunately, Indonesian passports are considered to have no great strength so that to be able to explore requires extra effort, namely by applying for visas.

In today's era, where travelling to the rest of the world is no longer impossible, having a passport is a must.

Passport is an identity outside the country. Meanwhile, according to Law Number 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration, it is explained that the passport of the Republic of Indonesia, which is subsequently called Passport, is a document issued by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to Indonesian citizens to travel between countries that are valid for a certain period of time.

Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, the power of Indonesian green passports is still often underestimated.

According to a report by The Henley Passport Index released on January 10, 2024, Indonesian passports are still relatively weak compared to other neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.

Reportedly the list, the power of Indonesian passports is ranked 66th in the world with Kazakhstan and Eswatini (formerly the Kingdom of Swajuland). The details are that Indonesia can visit 78 countries in the world without requiring visas, including countries in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, to travel to 148 countries, Indonesian passport owners need extra businesses with applications for visas that are not easy. Among the 148 countries are Australia, the United States, and most European countries, such as Italy, Belgium, and France.

Indonesia is under Timor Leste's passport, which is now in the 56th position, aka 10 rankings superior to Indonesia's green passport. Timor Leste passport holders can visit 96 destinations using visas.

This ranking became a topic of conversation, because Timor Leste used to be part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, before breaking away from Indonesia on May 20, 2002. But now Timor Leste's passport is more powerful than Indonesia.

Meanwhile, two neighboring countries, Singapore and Malaysia, cannot be underestimated. The Passport Index ranking places Singapore in the first position as the strongest passport in the world. Singapore will be accompanied by France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain.

Singapore passport holders can visit 194 destinations without using visas.

Furthermore, there is Malaysia which is the second country with the strongest passport in Southeast Asia. They occupy the 12th position with Cyprus and Liechtenstein. Malaysian passport owners can visit 182 destinations without using visas.

Having a high-power passport will be very profitable, one of which is that it is easier to mobilize to other countries, because the holder does not need a visa to enter a country.

Weak Indonesian passports have been a concern for a long time, despite the fact that Indonesia's position on the Passport Index continues to climb from year to year. What is the cause of a country having stronger passports than other countries?

Quoting Kompas, there are several factors that make a country have stronger passports than other countries. The national income or Goross domestic product (GDP) of a country is also a factor. Developed countries with high GDP tend to have strong passports. For example, such as Japan, Singapore, and the UK.

The strong weakness of a country's passports is also determined by several other factors. A country's reciprocal relations with other countries are one of the main factors. Providing visa-free access to a country indicates good relations between the two countries concerned.

Meanwhile, Henley Global said state revenue had an effect on passport power. The reason is simple, namely because citizens from rich countries are likely to provide greater economic benefits in the form of trade, tourism, and investment. In addition, they tend not to burden the host country's social and economic systems.

Another factor that affects the power of passports is the fragility of the state. When a country has a high level of violence, such as bombings, terrorist attacks, ethnic conflicts, and crimes, it tends to be few countries that will accept it out of concern.

He further explained that democracy is not a strong predictor of global mobility. Data from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found that the form of government does not have a strong correlation with the strength of passports.

So, it can be concluded, the wealth and level of fragility of a country has a major effect on the power of its passport.

Indonesia is actually quite active in fighting for the convenience of the Indonesian people to travel abroad, through cooperation that produces visa concessions. Therefore, the strength of Indonesian passports in the eyes of the world is also one of the promises discussed in the 2024 presidential election contestation.

Presidential candidate number three Ganjar Pranowo promised to make Indonesia a visa-free country to 120 countries.

"Our relationship with several countries is getting better (with visa-free)," said Ganjar Pranowo.