Menpora's Promise On Naturalization, Does Not Make Locals Die

Menpora Dito Ariotedjo encourages naturalization with more strict criteria (doc. PSSI Pers).

JAKARTA - The naturalization project has been smoother after the emergence of a legal product in the form of Permenpora Number 10 of 2023. The naturalization polemic is getting hotter because the law can actually be multiplied.

The birth of this legal umbrella creates naturalization in football, especially, or sport in general, into a system program.

Law Number 12 of 2006 concerning Citizenship is "reduced" by strengthening the presence of Permenpora in order to launch all naturalization "needs" in sports.

Previously, the naturalization program which is now increasingly causing big questions regarding the position of coaching, competition, Technical Directors, and the PSSI Executive Committee.

However, the naturalization polemic will not seem to subside after Menpora Dito Ariotedjo gave a statement on an occasion at the Discussion of Drinking Down some time ago.

Indeed, there is a promise, which deserves to be awaited for its realization, saying that the naturalization this time is full of calculations.

As the face of the Government, the Minister of Youth and Sports (Kemenpora) emphasized that the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Kemenpora) is committed to naturalization not turning off local talents.

"Indeed, I also see that recently there have been questions from the public, especially football fans and netizens (related to naturalization)." So, in principle, in general, our commitment is not that we want to kill local development. So, that's not true at all," said Dito Ariotedjo.

However, the promise to focus on local sustainability does not mean stopping naturalization projects. In fact, the new policy of the Menpora makes this practice more fertile in the future.

After the appointment of Experts from the Ministry of Youth and Sports for Youth Diaspora, Hamdan Hamedan, the naturalization project will be a sight that is increasingly prevalent in the future.

Kemenpora not only naturalizes football, but also other branches such as swimming and athletics.

"Indeed, our orders and policies are not only in football, but also in all sports. In particular, maybe one of the things I conveyed when I was in the DPR, maybe we need acceleration for the diaspora database for swimming and athletics."

"From swimming and athletics, the most numbers in each event, especially the Asian Games and the Olympics. That's where maybe we can raise our rankings directly if indeed we have athletes who can compete with countries whose physical potential may be greater," said the Minister of Youth and Sports.

The plan was then strengthened again under the pretext of tightening the naturalization criteria. Menpora said it would be more selective in choosing athletes to be naturalized.

Currently, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has around 600 names of diaspora which are being discussed for naturalization of all sports.

In addition, the Minister of Youth and Sports emphasized that the focus of naturalizing players with productive or young age with the interests of the national team is no longer the club.

"In fact, we want to explore and collect the potential of these diaspora. Maybe, in the past there were many naturalized practices or foreign players who immediately played in any club or sport."

"At this time we at the Ministry of Youth and Sports really want to focus on looking for young athletes who do have direct descent and do have a direct relationship with Indonesian (blood).

"Fokus kami kalau bisa kami mencari di usia-age masih bisa ganda bukan senior. Itu komitmen kami dan sudah saya sampaikan di DPR. Komitmen saya, selama saya di sini, saya tidak ingin melakukan naturalisasi yang maaf, ya, yang benar-benar bule begitu."

"So, it must be half-blood and the first and second derivatives. That's an obligation. Apart from that, maybe I won't process it," said the Menpora.

Obviously, if you look at various programs, naturalization projects appear to be a priority. Moreover, there is a plan from the Menpora to mix culture for efforts to accelerate quality improvement.

The effort was then wrapped up with the frills of everyone's rights in the eyes of the law which could not be opposed.

"So according to regulations, we actually want to mix culture where I think Indonesian culture is very good. However, there may also be many out-of-the-road cultures that can be exemplified for our local athletes, yes."

"So, this is our step to give the most important thing is the same right. Diaspora, whose parents were born in Indonesia, but (his son) was born abroad (abroad), it should have the same rights. So, what is certain is that our local development, we focus, will not disappear, indeed we combine it with the potential of the diaspora," said Dito Ariotedjo.

The promise of the Minister of Youth and Sports to focus on improvement in the coaching of athletes is worth waiting for. The naturalization polemic can be circulated if coaching goes well.

Naturalization is just one way and not the main thing. The role of PSSI's Technical Director and Executive Committee also needs to be clarified in its realm of improving the quality of coaching and competition. Do not in the future naturalize again into "primadona".

This naturalization polemic will be discussed by VOI with various perspectives.