Frequently Indonesian Citizens In Timor Leste Are Obstacles In Data Collection For The 2024 Election

Illustration of 2019 Election ballot paper. (Antara)

DILI - The Indonesian Ambassador to Timor Leste, Okto Dorinus Manik, revealed that the frequent occurrence of Indonesian citizens in Timor Leste is an obstacle in collecting data for Indonesian citizens to prepare for the 2024 General Election (Pemilu).

“They sometimes stay here (East Timor) for a month and then return to Indonesia. So, the obstacle in data collection is the high mobility of (our citizens),” he said in Dili, Timor Leste, Tuesday 17 May.

The updating and verification of Indonesian citizens' data in neighboring countries of Indonesia always occurs every time an election is held, accompanied by socialization of the stages of the election. This is an important stage as the main database for various electoral equipment and administration needs.

There are several districts in the country that have direct land borders with Indonesia, in Belu Regency, Kupang Regency, and North Central Timor Regency. One of their districts, Oekusi District, is an enclave located in the middle of the land border with Kupang Regency and North Central Timor Regency.

To overcome this problem, he explained, they have coordinated with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights regarding immigration authorities to clarify the status of Indonesian citizens for Indonesian people living in Timor Leste.

“There is an immigration attaché here. We are coordinating with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (about) what we doubt are Indonesian citizens or not. The face is the same, the language is the same, so we looked into the rules. There are files that must be filled. There are birth certificates, diplomas, and others," he said.

Currently, the Indonesian Embassy in Dili has begun to visit various districts in Timor Leste to collect Indonesian citizens and register them. "Now, we are going to the districts asking for data on Indonesian citizens for us to keep updating. So that the data for Indonesian citizens is accurate," he added, launching Antara.

On the same occasion, the Second Secretary of the Indonesian Embassy in Dili, Bambang Purwanto, explained that based on the data they have collected since 2019, more than 1,000 Indonesian citizens have been registered in Timor Leste.

However, those who meet the criteria as Indonesian citizens only range from 247-300 people. The criteria in question are having a valid ID card, Indonesian passport, or visa.

“The Indonesian government is still asking for certainty from the Timor Leste government. If for example they (WNI in Timor Leste) get an Indonesian passport, what about their visa? They've been here for a long time," he said.

In addition, he continued, there was a significant increase in the mobility of Indonesian citizens due to Covid-19. Some Indonesian citizens who worked in Timor Leste returned to Indonesia during the Covid-19 pandemic because of the country's economic policies at that time.

Business fields that are welcome to operate in Timor Leste are hospitals, pharmacies, building shops, and shops that provide household needs. Most of the livelihoods of Indonesian citizens in Timor Leste are places to eat or selling clothes. "Because they can't operate, they will go home. Khan's clothing stores are also down," he said.

He estimates that around 3,000 Indonesian citizens have returned to Indonesia. Meanwhile, based on observations from the Indonesian Embassy in Dili, those who returned to Timor Leste have not yet reached that number. "I think more than 3,000 people have returned, but not all of them have returned, based on our observations," he said.