After a couple of bites of our sandwiches and salads, we ended up having a conversation about our future plans. I told them that my current life goal (FYI this fluctuates more than the stock market) is to obtain a graduate degree in corporate law in the United States. I also told them that my current goal concerns a dilemma: I would love to live back home but staying in the US seems to be the wiser option for my career in the legal field.
Expecting a ‘nationalistic’ response such as: “Of course you can come back!” or “Go home and contribute to our people”, these two individuals instead straight up told me, “Yeah, you should stay.”
I was surprised by their reaction (maybe because I judge books based on their covers :p), yet I came to realize the various (rational) factors that drive foreign educated Indonesians to stay abroad as we continued on our discussion. While financial motive seems to be the dominant force that pushes foreign educated Indonesians away from our country, there are several other factors that stimulate our rate of brain drain. These factors include: Indonesia’s lack of proper infrastructure, corrupt policymakers, broken legal system, and others (Do keep in mind that this blogpost does not intend to list all the negative qualities of our country and drive people away…it has a positive intention behind it, I promise! Just keep on reading
).Quoting one of my best girlfriends (Shout out to Ariana): “Highly educated citizens need to feel like they can reach their maximum potential; for some that is abroad, for others that is at home. If you want the former to return into the latter, you need to make the country good for opportunities to be available for them to reach that potential.”
So without further a do, I shall list what I think are some of the major (non-financial) factors that may discourage ME and some other ‘highly educated Indonesian citizens’ I personally know (aka very few out of thousands) to return:
INFRASTRUCTURE
I moved to the United States four years ago and have not returned since then. I was a ‘typical anak Jakarta’, living in supposedly one of the busiest locations in the city, Kemang, and yes, I did experience typical ‘urban natural disasters’ like major floods and whatnot (unfortunately, I never took the chance to swim around when the roads were flooded with water. Next time!). But despite the fact that I have experienced the hustle and bustle of Jakarta pre-summer 2007, most of my Indonesian friends (especially the ones who attend Universities in the US) recently have been warning me the same thing: “LO GA AKAN BISA TAHAN MACETNYA JAKARTA SEKARANG!!”
Am I nervous for coming back? Well..The Economist Intelligence Unit’s World’s Most Livable City lists Jakarta 125th out of 140 cities. Infrastructure, along with stability, healthcare, culture & environment, and education are the criteria used for the rankings. Judging from the highly modern architecture of our malls and skyscrapers, this result seems illogical. Private entities seem to be doing just fine building their physical capitals; the government, however, seems to be dealing with severe issues concerning transportation and the flow of goods and services across the city. So yes, I am quite nervous of a possible culture shock (sounds sad, doesn’t it?).
After gaining knowledge about the numerous negative facts about Jakarta’s infrastructure, doesn’t it sound rational to NOT want to go back? If I could easily take the Washington, D.C. METRO from my suburban apartment to my office building downtown or be a happy pedestrian in Boston/NYC, why would I come back to utilize my car for nothing but to push the breaks every 5 seconds? To be completely honest though…I’m pretty sure I can live with traffic jams as long as my iPod is around. For some others, however, this is a legitimate concern.
CORRUPTION
ERADICATE KPK! THAT IS THE SOLUTION! Enough said!! (I know it’s hard to sense sarcasm in writing, but I know y’all are smart enough people to get this one).
WORK ETHIC & ENVIRONMENT
Unfamiliar with professional norms in Indonesia, I did ‘extensive research’ through my older peers who all agree that Indonesians are ‘tukang ngaret’. This, by the way, reminds me of a funny joke a good family friend shared:
In English: “The meeting will start at 9:15 AM. Please be there 15 minutes beforehand.”
In Indonesian: “Rapatnya jam 8!”
(Because we all know Indonesians are not the most punctual people in the world).
In the United States, at least, people are deemed to be professional. As an easy example, my professors at school are extremely punctual. Granted, they have more incentive to teach than lecturers at public Universities in Indonesia..But the fact that students are not given the right example during their undergraduate years by their own professors would make it difficult to push the same kind of discipline that exists in the US. Many Indonesians who attend schools abroad, therefore, feel that they do not want to be influenced by this negative environment (of course, this is an over generalization..I am aware of the fact that many industries in Indonesia are full of highly intelligent professionals with wonderful work ethics). But should this be a legitimate concern for foreign-educated Indonesians like traffic jams? Should we instead have the desire to change the current norm? Or is one person too weak to make the change?
NOT ENOUGH SUPPORT/NO MARKET
For certain industries, it is highly difficult to make a living in Indonesia. One of my friends is a student at Berklee College of Music (John Mayer went there, y’all) and he is certain that he would not be returning to Indonesia. Why? Because he simply believes that he would not be able to utilize his talent back home. ”If my country wants me to return, then it should be able to provide me with opportunities that are best for me.”
While this may sound egotistical, I personally believe that this is also my concern. As an American educated undergraduate student, it would be highly difficult for me (or at least…less wise for my career) to return and become a lawyer in Jakarta. But hey, I’m still too young to make decisions (yes, I am only 20. laugh all you want, people!
). We’ll see what will happen.WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Well, the real solution is to be handled by policymakers who have the jurisdiction to make informed decisions and implement them. But as regular citizens, what IS OUR SOLUTION?
If the solution we’re talking about here is for the purpose of pulling those highly educated workforce to be physically back home in Indonesia (or for those of you who are reluctant to return but have the ‘desire to have the ingenuous desire’ to return), then:
a. The passive activist ala Gandhi solution: Have the Genuine Desire to Contribute
I wrote in my previous blogpost that being physically back home in Indonesia is not the only way to contribute to Indonesia’s well-being and growth. To those who believe otherwise, however, then having the genuine desire to contribute to Indonesia by being home should be your best drive. You are one of those lucky souls to have the fortune to obtain degrees from foreign institutions..Why not share the loveee?
b. The evil capitalist ala Adam Smith solution: BE A BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND
Competition has been exceedingly high in various industries all over the globe, but it is a known fact that having a degree from foreign academic institutions gives you extra points when you apply for jobs back home in Indonesia. As a pessimistic-optimist (haha), I am aware of the fact that my chances of obtaining a job at a top firm would be higher if I were to return to Jakarta than if I stayed. For you, this might also just be the case. Boost your resume, enjoy your high-powered job, and live the good life you imagine. Oh and not to mention the numerous perks you get by living in a developing country where you can abuse your greater purchasing power (source)
:.