Mujianto and Gay's Rights in Indonesia

The latest gay serial killer case is gripping Indonesia again. The alleged murderer is Mujianto, a gay man from Nganjuk, East Java. He is suspected to have killed at least 5 people by poison, for jealousy motive. Apparently Mujianto was in a romantic relationship with his employer, but his employer had other boyfriends besides him. Jealous, Mujianto tried to kill all of his lover's lovers. Although 5 people were killed, he actually tried to poison at least 16 in total.

The media (and the public) do not waste time to start their gay bashing as soon as the case came out. All of them never forgot to mention the detail that Mujianto is gay on their articles, as if trying to make the point that gay is a murderous sickness, and that it is a sickness that will lead to murderous tendencies. Some of them cannot resist to make the linkage with another gay serial killer, Ryan of Jombang, from 2 years ago.

Gay bashing in public sites is even worse. Most of the online comments in news website, forum, and others are downright hostile against gays. Some call for 'total banishment' of gays, some call for 'reforming' them, calling them as the 'scourges of society', one that will be causing the 'wrath of God'. Some are worse than that, and I just don't have the heart to say it.

Gay groups are understandably distraught by this case. This will represent a major setback to their struggle for equal rights in Indonesia. Some try to distance themselves from the case, by condemning Mujianto.

I do think, however, that gay groups can actually use this opportunity to highlight the psychological issues of becoming a gay in Indonesia. I am saying this not because I am supporting the opinion of mainstream media who try to use this case to picture homosexuality as sickness. As a matter of fact, even though I am not gay, I sympathize with them. I support their cause. On the other hand, I think it is important to point out that this case is a representation (albeit in a very extreme way) on mental health issues on becoming a gay in Indonesia.

Becoming a gay in a group-oriented society such as Indonesia is not easy. Being gay is not a crime here, which is actually quite liberal compared to other Moslem-majority countries, but it still has a lot of stigmas attached to it. Gays are considered second rate people. Most people laugh at them, some despise them and don't want anything to do with them. Religious leaders call them a disease and a sign of degrading time. Media picture them as sick people. That is why some gays think the wise thing to do is to hide their identity and live a quiet double life: appearing as heterosexual on the outside (even getting married and have children) and becoming gay secretly. Imagine how big the psychological burden they have to bear throughout their life to lead a double existence like that.

When a gay finds love, it must be a very significant event for them, as for other people. However, it is even more so for gays because of how society view gay and gay's relationship. They have to make all kinds of efforts to hide their relationship away from the public eye. It is not easy to be in a relationship for gays, therefore they really need to be in love to be able to withstand all those obstacles.

However, when the relationship broke down, the pain will be even greater for gays. Broken heart is not just about investing so much time and energy for the other person and then finding it is all useless, or the feeling of losing someone precious and special. Broken heart is also about fearing that we may not find the same thing again. For gays in Indonesia, considering the circumstances, I suspect, the feeling is doubly greater. Maybe these are what Mujianto was feeling when he tried to murder his victims: lost, fear and hopelessness.

I am not suggesting that all broken-hearted gays have the tendency to become killers. What I am trying to say is that it is important to address psychological issues of gay people in Indonesia. They have these issues not because homosexuality is a disease in itself, but because of the enormous burden they have to bear due to the stigma society attach towards gays. The stigma affects them in variety of ways. Maybe it causes them to blame themselves for their 'gayness', maybe it gives them a low self-esteem. But what is important, the stigma prevents them to fully realize themselves. I believe this is the one causing all sorts of psychological problems for gays. Maybe this is also the one indirectly causing Mujianto to do what he did.

Gays have the right to live a normal life in society. They have been prevented  to do so by our society for a long time. I believe, in light of Mujianto's case, it is important reopen the debate on the importance on giving gays what should be rightfully theirs: the right to live freely and openly in Indonesia.


News articles on Mujianto: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/pages/search/index.php?keywords=mujianto&x=0&y=0

News articles on Ryan, the serial killer from Jombang: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/pages/search/index.php?keywords=Ryan+Jombang&x=0&y=0

Brain Drain: A Lost or A Gain

Brain Drain: A Lost? 

A few years ago, on a trip to Tokyo, I met an old friend (let’s call him X). We went out to a restaurant and had some drinks together, catching up a lot of news. We were talking back and forth to no particular topic, until we came to the subject of jobs. My friend is an IT specialist, and he is so good in his field that a Japanese company offered him a position in the headquarter office. It was even more impressive because he was only one of the two foreigners working there, and at the time Japanese companies were laying off people more than hiring new workers.

Back in Indonesia, I told my friend’s story to another friend (let’s call him Y).He was not impressed. He even looked a bit upset. Y said that the story of X represents the brain drain phenomena that developing countries are experiencing. He went on to explain about brain drain. Brain drain, he said, means that after a country investing so much in its educational infrastructure, hoping to benefit from the best of its local talents in the future, they have to lose their best and brightest to developed countries. They cannot stop it, because they cannot afford to offer these people the same salary as the more developed countries. The lost of these highly skilled people means that developing countries cannot make use their knowledge and skills for development. Knowledge and skills will only be concentrated in highly developed countries, making more difficult for developing countries to catch up.

The term ‘brain drain’ itself is not a new term. It was first coined in 1960s by the British Royal Society to describe the migration of scientists and technologist from Europe to the United States in post-world war period. As global migration increasing in scale (it is estimated that there are over 200 million migrant worldwide), brain drain is also increasing. Indonesia is also experiencing it. Now and then we begin to see highly skilled people moving out of Indonesia to work. X is one example, but I know some other people like him. I even have a distant relative working in the US as a professor in a university. As Indonesia continues to improve its educational system, their number will surely increase.

People in developing countries generally regard brain drain as a destructive phenomenon. It is no different too in Indonesia. My friend, Y, seems to regret X’s decision to work in Japan. He never said it, but I get the feeling that he regards the decision as ‘unpatriotic’. He said that X should do whatever he can to try to work in Indonesia. I told him that X actually had tried to work for more than 5 years in Indonesia, even though he was already offered the position in Japan by then.

As I told X’s story to other friends, I got more mixed reactions. Some support X’s decision to move outside Indonesia, because “He couldn’t get a decent life in Indonesia that is equivalent to his skills”, or “Indonesia just does not appreciate his skills well enough, so why should he stay here?” and so on. Others of the more nationalistic type would say that it is an unfortunate decision; he should contribute his knowledge to Indonesia. Yet everyone agrees on one thing: X’s departure is a loss to Indonesia, and that it represents a long list of failures by Indonesia to hold on to its best and brightest. No one seems to think that X’s departure (and other people like him) can help the development of Indonesia.

A Development Gain?

Recent studies on Migration have shown that the impact of brain drain is not always easy to assess, whether it is positive or negative. In fact, some recent studies actually suggest that the migration of highly skilled people can contribute to the development of the host countries. An article in The Economist, May 28th 2011 edition, cites studies from around the world that supports this. A study from Ghana, for example, shows that remittances send by skilled Ghanaian abroad are more than enough to cover the amount of money spent on educating them. You can say that it is a return of investment.

We do not know whether it is also happening in Indonesia. Remittances sent by Indonesian migrant workers in 2009 reached to US$ 6.6 billion (IOM Report 2010). Unfortunately, it is not clear how much from that amount were remitted by highly skilled workers. Looking at the case of X, he told me that he continuously sending money back home to his family who is still living here. I do not know how much money he sends home, but I am sure it is not small.

Migration of highly skilled workers can have positive impact towards development through other means. The 2011 handbook on Mainstreaming Migration into Development Planning (released by the Global Migration Group) says that there is always a possibility that the departing skilled people will return to the host country with more experience and skills, because they have honed their skills and acquired vital experiences while working abroad. This added skill and experience will surely benefit the host country. They can use it or they can pass it through the next generation by teaching them.

Moreover, departing migrants may also motivate younger people in host country to attain higher education. A study in Fiji (also cited in The Economist article) shows that young Indians in Fiji are more likely to go to universities because the three top countries for migration for Fijians (Australia, Canada and New Zealand) put more emphasis on attracting skilled migrants. Since most of them will end up staying in Fiji after all, this means Fiji will have a better stock of skills than before.

I do not know whether similar research on this has been carried out in Indonesia or not. However, it seems there is an increasing interest among the younger generation in Indonesia to go and work abroad, and this desire motivates them to go to higher education. Maybe it was first inspired because of stories they heard from the previous generation of highly skilled migrants.

Brain Drain: A Lost or A Gain? 

We need to have a more careful and thorough study before we can establish whether the departure of highly skilled workers from Indonesia is bad for development in Indonesia or not. Recent studies seem to suggest the possibility of benefiting from this phenomenon. Government therefore should device policies to maximize the gains and minimize the cost.

However, looking back at the original story of my friend, X, I think it is no less important to try to understand that this is not just about development. As I have explained he tried to work for five years in Indonesia, and he was paid quite well too. However, he realized that, due to so many factors, he could not use his skill to the maximum. When he accepted the offer from the Japanese company, it was not only because of the salary they offered, but also because of the opportunity to use his skill to the maximum. Now, he said, he is enjoying his life more.

My friend is not unpatriotic. He is also not money hungry. He simply wants to have the chance to apply his skills, the skills he had spent so much of his life to study.  If he has the chance to apply his skills in Indonesia, he will surely come back to Indonesia and work here, even with less salary. That is, unfortunately, not the case. His decision to move to Japan should not be judged in a negative light. It is an exercise of his human rights and should, therefore, be respected as such.

Greeting

It's my first blog in English!

I already have a blog in Indonesian: http://bebas-tulis.blogspot.com/. But sometimes I write in English, and I just don't want to mix everything in one place, so I create this one.

I don't know what I'll write. Maybe just everything that will come to mind, on all sorts of issues. I just hope I can have discipline and write regularly.