Prabowo’s dual citizenship push: A constitutional test
While framed as a strategy to attract top global talent, Indonesia’s push for dual citizenship hinges not on political vision, but on whether lawmakers can navigate the constitutional and statutory safeguards required to make it work.
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto recently proposed a limited dual citizenship policy for high-value talent, reigniting a long-standing debate over the country's constitutional framework. While the idea may appear to be a strategic move to attract global talent, its success hinges on lawmakers' ability to navigate the complex web of constitutional and statutory safeguards.
The 1945 Constitution delegates citizenship matters to statutory regulation, leaving room for interpretation and debate. Unlike India, which has a strict constitutional prohibition on dual nationality, Indonesia has the flexibility to establish a dual citizenship system within the bounds of the law. The current framework, established in post-reform amendments, guarantees the right to citizenship and the freedom to choose one's nationality.
Law No. 12/2006 on Citizenship, enacted to address the shortcomings of the 1958 Citizenship Law, established single citizenship as the default option but introduced limited dual nationality for children of mixed marriages. The Indonesian experience demonstrates that dual citizenship is not an unprecedented legal challenge, but rather a continuation of a legislative journey that began during the reform era and was only partially resolved in 2006.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post Academia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
