Global Indonesian Diaspora: How many are there and where are they? Salut Muhidin Macquarie University, Australia Ariane Utomo Australian National University, Australia Abstract In the last few years, there is an increasing interest in connecting Indonesian diaspora around the world in order to assist in the national development. A recent event called “Congress of Indonesian Diaspora” held by Indonesian Diaspora Network (IDN) in Jakarta was conducted to focus on this issue. To date, not much is known about the size and composition of the global Indonesian diaspora. This paper attempts to address this gap by analysing the migration patterns and several specific demographic factors related to the global Indonesian diaspora. The paper will also explore the potential impacts of Indonesian diaspora could play in Indonesian development. Key words: Indonesian Diaspora, migration, development. “Population dynamics and the Angeles in July 2012 and the second restructuring of economies have Congress in Jakarta in August 2013. The contributed to increasing awareness 2nd CID had a theme of ‚Pulang among policy makers about the key Kampung‛ which means ‚Coming back role that international migrants play home‛ in an attempt to bring together in satisfying labour demand in Indonesian diaspora in one network particular sectors and in maintaining community (so-called Indonesian the international networks necessary Diaspora Network or IDN) and to build a for the operation of the global new emerging power of the millions of economy…international migration is overseas Indonesians. Many ideas and an integral part of the development lessons have been learned and exchanged process and the functioning of modern from the events that have been carried economies.” forward into actions. The theme of the third CID was ‘Diaspora Bakti Bangsa,’ (UN Secretary General 2010: 3). which means ‘Diaspora Devotion to the Introduction Nation.’ It emphasizes the spirit of global Indonesian diaspora in their attempts to In August 2015, many overseas promote shared prosperity for Indonesia. Indonesians from around the world The Congress highlighted several main arrived in Jakarta to attend the Congress issues, including sustainable cities (with of Indonesian Diaspora (CID). This is the the case studies in Jakarta and Bandung), third CID since its first Congress in Los healthcare, higher learning education, the Journal of ASEAN Studies, Vol. 3, No. 2 (2015), pp. 93-101 ©2015 by CBDS Bina Nusantara University and Indonesian Association for International Relations ISSN 2338-1361 print / ISSN 2338-1353 electronic 94 The Global of Indonesian Diaspora economy, culinary, creative economy, years. Since these databases primarily dual citizenship, and maritime target Indonesian-born international development. migrants only, we then use an example of detailed tabulations from the 2011 In recent years, the government of Australian Population Census using data Indonesia has started to pay more on ancestry, country of birth, and attention to the existence of its diaspora language spoken at home to illustrate and to appreciate them as a national how the size of the diaspora may be resource. The Indonesian Ministry of potentially different to the one estimated Foreign Affairs, for example, established using the international migrant stock data. the Indonesian Diaspora Desk that is To conclude, we discuss potential positive headed at ambassadorial level. The former impacts of Indonesian diaspora on president Yudhoyono in his message at development in Indonesia. the 2nd CID also stated that the ‚Diaspora‛ approach should become the Estimating Indonesian Diaspora: new strategy of Indonesia. The current Definition and data sources vice president Kalla in his message at the 3rd CID said that the support of The first step in estimating the Indonesian diaspora could take the form total number of Indonesian diaspora is to of experiences, networks, capital and define the diaspora itself. Broadly access to foreign markets. speaking, diaspora is defined as ‚a group of people who live outside the area which While the CID had showcased a they had lived for a long time or in which number of contributions from Indonesian their ancestors lived,‛ (Merriam-Webster, diaspora, there are still many more retrieved 23/04/2015). This is the result of potentials that have been untapped. One the ‘dispersion of a people from its fundamental question that keeps on original homeland’ (Butler, 2001:189). coming up in the ensuing discussions on Despite the clarity of this explanation, the Indonesian diaspora relates to its size diaspora is a word that has evolved in and distribution. meaning overtime and to this day doesn’t have a precise definition. This is because Drawing from an earlier working there are several paradigms as to what the paper from Muhidin and Utomo (2013), term truly means and as to how it can be this paper aims to update and stimulate applied to certain populations. further discussions on the estimated size and distribution of the Indonesian The term ‘diaspora’ originally diaspora in the global world. comes from the Greek word ‘diaspeirein’ which is ‘dia’ for across and ‘speirein' for This paper is structured as follows. scatter. In the past, this term carried First, we outline two problems associated negative connotations as it was associated with the great variability with current with the forced dispersal of Jews estimates of the size of the diaspora: its population from their homeland. In definition and data source. After today’s globalised world, the term outlining these various estimates, we diaspora becomes universal phenomenon explore results from two different and has replaced a variety of flows of databases on international migrant stock migration like labour migrants, refugees, to look at the distribution and the growth and marriage migrants. This is because of Indonesian-born migrants in recent Journal of ASEAN Studies 95 more migrants today are due to moving transnational members of the diaspora voluntarily rather than due to forced or over an extended period of time. involuntarily migration such as slavery, persecution or convictions. In addition, Following these criterions, many diaspora populations have been identifying members of the Indonesian established for the centuries. Despite the diaspora in a statistical manner becomes sufferings experienced by diaspora harder. It is not clear through how many populations during colonisation centuries migrant generations, on average, the ago, its significance in history has in some boundary-maintenance characteristics of respects been forgotten by members of the the diaspora would last. In this case, present generation (Safran, 1991). This is should we then limit statistical estimates because of their tendency to forge their of the Indonesian diaspora to first identity with the ‚host land‛, as well as generation migrants only? Alternatively, their entitled legal status as citizens of the should we include anyone with any country. In short, this modern migration ancestry of Indonesians, no matter how allows for a triangular relationship, where small, including an Australian whose diaspora are able to review, reformulate great-great-great grandfather was a and re-define their terms of engagement seafarer from Makassar? Having such a vis-à-vis both the home and the country of comprehensive picture of anyone with residence. Indonesian ancestry living abroad would be ideal. Unfortunately, we are faced with Following this simplest definition, a second problem in our exercise, that of one may consider the Indonesian diaspora data source. as consisting of Indonesians by birth and ancestry who live outside of Indonesia. In Table 1 illustrates the varying many cases, this definition of the diaspora estimates of the number of the Indonesian is used interchangeably with ‘overseas diaspora depending on both the definition Indonesians’. and data source. These estimates ranged between 2 to 8 million. The conservative While the above definition seems estimates of the Indonesian diaspora are simple, in practice, any attempt to trace mainly drawn from international migrant the patterns and the scale of the stock datasets. These estimates are mostly dispersion of a large number of people based on statistics of foreign-born from any particular point of origin is far population obtained from national from being straightforward. The first population censuses. International problem relates to the aforementioned migrant stock datasets provide estimates definition. The Indonesian of the number of Indonesian-born diaspora/overseas Indonesians, by and population living abroad, and exclude large, is a socially constructed population second and later generations as well as (Muhidin, 2013). Brubaker (2005) other overseas Indonesians who were not highlights the three general criterions to born in Indonesia. define what constitutes a diaspora: dispersement, homeland orientation, and The first data source of this kind, boundary-maintenance. The last criterion the Global Migrant Origin Database, is refers to a set of homeland-anchored compiled by the Development Research collective identities shared by the Centre on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty of the University of Sussex 96 The Global of Indonesian Diaspora (Migration DRC., 2007). The dataset estimates from the Indonesian Ministry of records stocks (not flows) of lifetime Foreign Affairs based on official reports migration by looking at data of overseas from 167 diplomatic offices, as cited by born population