February 17, 2025
JAKARTA – In the past month, Aldo Simanjuntak’s coffee shop in South Jakarta has only had about one third of its typical number of customers. His one-time regulars, mostly university students and employees of a nearby state-run bank, have been coming by less and less frequently.
“They used to come every day. Now they’ll come maybe twice, three times a week at most,” the 29-year-old entrepreneur told The Jakarta Post on Friday. “Since rumors of a massive ‘efficiency’ [drive] from the government have circulated, my sales have dropped. I have never in my business seen such a dramatic drop in [purchases].”
In Bandung, West Java, meanwhile, 30-year-old marketing specialist Sara Akmalia is getting increasingly frustrated with the process of picking an elementary school for her son, who will turn seven in a few months.
She cannot comfortably afford private school fees, and the recent cuts to the national education budget have further decreased her confidence in the country’s public school system.
“The regulations here are generally absurd, but the ones on education are at the top of my concerns,” Sara told the Post. “It’s just getting incredibly hard to live in Indonesia. Prices have gone up, but wages have stayed the same.”
Feeling a mixture of anger and hopelessness, Aldo and Sara have found themselves looking for a life out of the country.
“I’ve always thought of leaving, but the recent regulations have truly lit a fire in me,” Sara said. “Recently, I’ve been applying to five to six job postings abroad.”
“This is not a matter of whether I have hope or not for the country. That all depends on politics. I just think the problem with the country is systemic,” Aldo added.
Recently, a number of Indonesian internet users have begun discussing the prospect of leaving the country following a string of newly announced controversial regulations, with many expressing frustration over massive state budget cuts to key sectors, decreased purchasing power and a lack of access to crucial commodities such as subsidized motor fuel.
The discourse has been tagged #KaburAjaDulu online, which translates to “just flee already”. The most popular tweets on X with the tag have amassed over 6 million engagements in just a few days. Indonesians already working abroad have also chimed in, with many sharing resources and advice for those seeking jobs abroad.
The sudden urge among some Indonesians to leave the country comes amid ongoing efforts by the government to attract highly qualified members of the diaspora back to the country, with officials admitting that their long-term development plans could be hindered by brain drain and an overall lack of skilled human resources.
While the government is offering incentives to entice members of the diaspora to return to Indonesia, including a scheme that allows foreign citizens of Indonesian descent to hold a permanent Indonesian visa, officials’ recent moves have raised severe doubts among the diaspora.
Sana Juhairi, a 28-year-old student residing in Milan, Italy, said she and her husband had recently decided to cancel their plans to return to Indonesia.
“We were never planning to come home anytime soon, but we were discussing the possibility of buying a plot of land back home in preparation for our eventual return,” Sana said.
“During the elections, my husband and I were quite alert but still kept an open mind. Now we’re sure. We plan to stay here in Italy for permanent residency.”
The popular discourse on fleeing the country has prompted several politicians, including former Jakarta governor and opposition figure Anies Baswedan, to make public statements encouraging persistence. In a short video posted online, Anies said, “Loving Indonesia is indeed an act that requires patience.”
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, meanwhile, was widely criticized online when he responded to the trend on Thursday by suggesting that those seeking to leave were not true nationalists.
“Let him say whatever he wants,” Aldo told the Post. “In my opinion, the true un-nationalistic act is making regulations that hurt the people.”
Bahlil was embroiled in controversy recently for his decision to limit the sale of 3-kilogram canisters of subsidized cooking gas, which caused shortages nationwide earlier this month. The policy prompted widespread public backlash that eventually forced Prabowo to intervene and order Bahlil to backtrack on the policy.