I'll Tag It!!

Much of the disparity between people who decide to stay abroad after their study done and those who choose to go back to their heimatland falls into reality and nationalism polarization. The former choose for building up their academics (or maybe commercial) career, be it in their former university or another institutions, see more on much more “realistic” sense, while the latter stand on the ground of nationalism. In one hand, “Well, what can I say, I do not know what I would become if I choose staying in Indonesia. I got no lab facilities, at least equivalent with my time when I studied. The government just don’t care with us scientist. The keep scientific budget low. We just have to live the fact and protect my family future.and so on so forth”. In the other extreme, ” Better or worse is my country. I shall return no matter how hard it is. Those who think of staying away from what happened in our country simply people with no more nationalism in their heart. And there you go, the debate becomes an endless discussion as both sides defends their own reason.

Is it true that nationalism is a function of where you live? Putting to other words, so these people who choose to make an academic career abroad are not nationalists and do not care with Indonesia. Using a lens form a more holistic stand perhaps gives us better view. To some degree, we must admit that for some, or most researchers, especially who deal with lab and much more sophisticated tools, they can not really rely on government spendings. I learn that, managing education for 250 billion people is not a trivial task, not to count the challenge of corruption and government’ unreliable fund management. The latest 2010 audit report published was granted disclaimer opinion by State Auditor (BPK) revealed that the ministry of education is having plenty of housework to get done (the opinion is even worse from 2009’s qualified opinion. Beside that, we still have problem for unresolved high unemployment rate.

These scientists perhaps have been trying to find some ways to self fund themselves. However, after all, their nature is not a fund seeker, which means that the building of scientific work is not only placed upon their shoulder, but also to other part who bears responsibility for the ability to maintain conducive and secure working atmosphere. Go back to the question..are these people anti nationalists? We have two kind of people (1) Those who have this potentials and have no time to wait for government until they can finally do their job as expected, and (2) Those who are simply smart people but also jerks and they internally gnaw and hold back the progress of the nation. People in category 1 do not have time to think of pointing their finger on everybody to blame for the condition. They just need place to work seriously and give extraordinary output. And those is category 2, I guess no one benefits from them.

I believe the answer should be looked from the perspective what they actually and potentially do for Indonesia, not from where they work, the locus. From an actual viewpoint, at least, here, I am blessed to get a chance to know some Indonesians who happened to be star in their own field. They work in a quite diverse areas ranging from solar technology, mechanical engineering, computer science, biotechnology. One of them is even the only Asian working in Germanny’s Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung). From a potential viewpoint, Indonesian education and technology development may gain positive impact through a greater research and development network worldwide. Researchers working in overseas institution may create a mutual beneficial link between them and future studendts from Indonesia. Once they step up and trusted as decision maker, like professorship, they can recruit more Indonesian students to be their students or their peer’s students. We can imagine how strong and the merits of such a network chain if we mirror China and India. Their local students are scattered all over the world recruited by their national counterparts who work as faculty member in a highly recognized universities and research institutions.

So, this two perspective, actual and potential contribution can not be simply neglected. True, they are not working in Indonesia geographically, but what they do is obviously big. With a little bit seasoning of better G-to-G and U-to-U management, we will grow more seeds for Indonesia new order. As our Minister of Education once spoke, nationalism is not a function of locus…. valued global and valued local.