Jadi Priorita Program Asta Cita, Kemlu Siapkan Kebijakan Untuk Mengakselerasi Kontribusi Diaspora

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. (VOI / Fauzi)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will present policies that can accelerate the contribution of the Indonesian diaspora to become the nation's strategic assets.

The Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Heru Hartanto Subolo, said that one of the Asta Cita President Prabowo Subianto was to encourage and make diaspora one of the priorities in national development.

In line with that, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently has a new directorate, the Directorate of Diaspora Affairs, which is currently led by Devdy Risa.

"The foreign political policy is synergized with our policy to ensure diaspora is one of the development instruments," said Ambassador Heru in Jakarta, Friday, October 10.

He explained that Indonesian citizens (WNI) and ex-WNI have the capacity to be a gain brain in the context of national development as well as in order to encourage socio-cultural relations, global networks obtained from links to diaspora.

"Of course, it becomes more important and diaspora is one of the priorities that are handled specifically at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," said Ambassador Heru.

In a speech at the Annual Press Statement of the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs last January, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said increasing the role of diaspora in Indonesian diplomacy was one of the priorities of the Asta Cita Pemerintahan program, President Prabowo.

Calling diaspora a strategic asset of the nation, Foreign Minister Sugiono in his speech said the government would change the drainage brain into a brain gain to optimize the role of Indonesian citizens abroad.

Asked about the possibility of two citizenships for the diaspora, Ambassador Heru said "it will be one that will be discussed in the future in addition to several other issues, namely where we have policies that can encourage diaspora to contribute to Indonesia."

Ambassador Heru then gave an example of policies in the context of economic interaction, where the Indonesian diaspora abroad is now able to open an Indonesian bank account.

There are also Indonesian Community Cards Abroad (KMILN) or more familiar with diaspora cards issued by the government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is intended for Indonesian citizens abroad and foreigners (covering foreigners from former Indonesian citizens, foreigners from former Indonesian citizens, foreigners from foreigners who one or both parents are Indonesian citizens.

"In the future, there will be many other policies that are in nature to accelerate their contribution to the country," said Ambassador Heru.