#JustRunAwayFirst

The documentary Eksil (2022, Lola Amaria) traces the fate of some of the many Indonesian scholars who lost their citizenship. Why? In the mid-1960s, they went to study on various continents with the blessing of the left-wing Sukarno government. Some of them were supporters of left-wing parties or academic professional organizations.

After the 1965 massacre, the military seized power from Soekarno. Scholars abroad were pressured to sign statements condemning Soekarno and supporting the military. Those who refused had their passports frozen. For decades, they were unable to return to their homeland. Indonesia itself suffered from the loss of some of the best members of that generation of intellectuals.

If we are happier after graduating, we don't have to go home. If we are forbidden to go home, it's a coincidence, ha-ha-ha.

In 2024, the film Eksil was shown in Melbourne. Among the audience were several postgraduate students from Indonesia. Most of them were scholarship recipients, like the characters in the film. After the show and discussion, someone joked: "We would be happier if we didn't have to go home after graduating. If we were forbidden to go home, it would be a coincidence, ha-ha-ha". The others laughed.

Last year, there was a discourse among state officials suggesting that Indonesian scholarship recipients who completed their studies abroad would not be required to return immediately. These students in Melbourne are part of the nation's citizens who are already familiar with the parody "Golden Indonesia 2045" turned into "Anxious Indonesia." Many of them have been disappointed by both the process and the results of the 2024 General Election. They are familiar with the icon depicting a "State of Emergency Warning," which this week is followed by the icon "Dark Indonesia."

Over the past month, #KaburAjaDulu has become the most viral hashtag across various media platforms. Many interpret the hashtag as an expression of citizens' despair over the economic, legal, and social conditions in the country. Political elites are perceived as indifferent to the daily struggles of the broader public. The elites are too preoccupied with internal rivalries and bargaining over shares of power and wealth in various forms of collusion. The state treasury is depleting, leading to budget cuts.

That general view is not wrong, but it is too narrow. Migration has been a long-standing tradition in the history of the Nusantara. Thousands of years ago, the ancestors of Indonesia's inhabitants were migrants who fled from various corners of the world. Leaving the homeland for economic improvement is not a new phenomenon. For more than half a century, there has been a massive wave of Indonesian migrant workers (TKI/TKW) heading abroad. This migration continues to this day.

However, there was never a fanfare of slogans like #KaburAjaDulu in the past. Not even during the severe economic crisis of 1997. What is different now? Is Indonesia in a worse state? I doubt it.

Could the status of the educated middle class be declining, approaching that of TKI/TKW? Is #JustEscapeFirst merely a new enthusiasm to continue the old migration trend of TKI? The difference now is that the actors are middle-class individuals whose voices resonate loudly in public spaces. Are they both pursuing better careers abroad because they feel undervalued in their homeland?

Maybe #KaburAjaDulu signifies the rise of the ideals and tastes of the educated middle class. They realize that the welfare of their colleagues in other countries is better.

In social sciences there is a jargon of proletarianization, namely the decline of the position of the middle class to be similar to the proletariat (the common class of victims of exploitation). They may wear ties, have higher education degrees, earn middle or high salaries, but their fate in the workplace is not much different from manual workers. In the workplace they have no autonomy. They are only dictated to and ordered. Their voices are not respected by their superiors. Their work schedules are not flexible. Their room for movement is narrowed. Their rights as professional workers are not protected by professional unions and are often abused.

It could also be the other way around. Maybe #KaburAjaDulu signifies the rise of the ideals and tastes of the educated middle class. They realize that the welfare of their colleagues in other countries is better. They feel they have equal rights. They are confident that they are able to perform at work with international standards. If so, #KaburAjaDulu signifies the success of their education. This is good news, namely the rise of awareness of potential and self-confidence in the global sphere.

Unfortunately, the increase in the education of these citizens is not balanced with an increase in the quality of state services. Their talents, dedication, and needs are not accommodated. The global aspirations of the citizens of this nation are not accompanied by the power of the Indonesian passport at the global level. Some want to change citizenship.

These factors can intertwine in varying combinations. Some young professionals have already found work in their chosen countries and fields. However, their numbers are very small. For most of the middle class, #RunAwayForever is still a dream. Not a mass exodus.

If they do not flee their homeland, they can either surrender to the conditions, or fight to improve those conditions.

Globally, the percentage of the modern Indonesian middle class living in other countries is relatively small. The number is difficult to ascertain, but it is estimated at only 3.2 percent of the total population, lower than the global average of 3.6 percent. Moreover, most of these Indonesian migrants are not professionals, but low-skilled workers, including domestic workers.

Australia is one of the countries in the world with a large percentage of its population born overseas (30.7 percent). Geographically, its closest neighbor is Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world. Australia is the top country for Indonesian middle class to study. But Indonesians living in Australia are only around 0.4 percent of the population there. Far below neighboring citizens from the Philippines (1.4 percent), Vietnam (1.1 percent), or Malaysia 0.7 percent.

Moving to another country is not easy financially, bureaucratically or culturally. Especially since the rise of racist and anti-immigrant right-wing political populism in many large countries. If the majority of the middle class do not flee, it is probably because their conditions are not as bad as those of the common people. If they do not flee their homeland, they can either accept their conditions, or fight to improve them. When forced by circumstances, humans often show an extraordinary ability to overcome their problems.Ariel Heryanto, Emeritus Professor of Monash University, Australia