An Indonesian student in Sydney is considering staying in Australia indefinitely, where he says he can be free to voice his opinion without retribution from the government.
Bima Yudho Saputro, who goes by @awbimaxreborn on TikTok, is a student at Macquarie University in Sydney. Last week, he posted a political commentary video that went viral on TikTok, citing poor infrastructure, systemic corruption and nepotism, and poor education to be among the problems holding back progress in his hometown of Lampung.
@awbimaxreborn Presentasi kali ini tentang alasan kenapa Lampung tidak maju-maju dan malah banyak warganya yg bekerja di luar daerah atau bahkan ke luar negeri. Apakah di daerah kalian sama?
♬ Toxic – BoyWithUke
Soon after, reports emerged that a Lampung citizen reported Bima to the Lampung Police for online defamation under the Information and Electronic Transactions Act (UU ITE) – itself known as a tool employed by those in power to silence criticism. This prompted Bima to post the following video in response, which has garnered 12.1 million views as of this article’s publication.
@awbimaxreborn Good bye Lampung! good luck ya di sana. HAHAHA
♬ suara asli –
As it is implied in the video that Bima obtained an Australian Protection Visa (ordinarily and selectively granted to foreigners seeking asylum from political and religious persecution in their home country), Indonesian media outlets ran with the story that he can now live in Australia indefinitely.
Stressing that he never explicitly said he obtained a Protection Visa, Bima clarified in a follow-up video that he is considering applying for one amid the heat he has been facing since he uploaded his Lampung critique video.
@awbimaxreborn Well, karena banyak yg salah tanggap mengenai protection visa yg banyak media memberitakan gua dapet protection visa. Tapi ada beberapa media yg benar memberitakan tentang hal ini juga, gua mau mengklarifikasi aja biar semuanya crystal clear. Tinggal ditunggu aja kelanjutannya di kasus gua ini gimana, dan apakah akan masuk ditahap pentelidikan dan menjadikan gua sebagai tersangka? So gua bakalan update lagi kelanjutan kasus gua sambil nyantai deket2 Opera House ya wak.. HAHAHA kena lo. Lagian lawan gue juga cuma sekelas badut, lu pada yg heboh se-Indonesia. Kocak!
♬ original sound – Awbimax Reborn
“I want to apply because of this problem with political opinion. [Australia] wouldn’t just grant me [a Protection Visa] right away,” he said, adding that his application can only be kick-started if he, via his family back in Lampung, receives a police warrant for investigation into the defamation case.
On Instagram, Bima posted a story saying that police and local government officials have met with his parents in Lampung, and that he is concerned about their well-being.
Bima says he is now on a student visa, which gives him the right to reside in Australia for the duration of his studies. He may be granted a Bridging Visa during the application process for a Protection Visa.
Of course, after his graduation, Bima can also look to obtain a work visa through employment in Australia, which would entitle him to permanent residency and even citizenship down the line.
We hope things work out for Bima in his quest to find a home where he doesn’t have to fear political persecution.
