Many observers have detected an increasingly xenophobic tone amongst Indonesian politicians who see foreigners (or want the public to see foreigners) as a growing threat to the Indonesian economy and society at large.
The latest example of anti-foreigner rhetoric comes from Susi Susilawati, the head of the Regional Office of Law and Human Rights of West Java province, who recently suggested a crackdown on the number of foreign backpackers coming to her region because they have other interests besides sightseeing.
“[They’re] looking for women,” Susi said at a meeting in Subang, West Java, yesterday as quoted Tempo.
Susi went on to say that naive village women who live around tourist sites are often exploited by backpackers “to release their lust”, although she said there are tourists who also marry these women as a means to own land in the country.
For that reason, Susi asked the public to carefully monitor any foreign tourists coming to remote areas that contain tourist destinations.
“Do not glorify their presence and do not be careless,” she said, adding that any suspicious backpackers should immediately be reported to the local immigration office.
Susi also warned that the number of backpackers coming to Indonesia, especially West Java, would be higher in the future due to the government’s free visa program that has been expanded to the citizens of 169 countries during President Joko Widodo’s administration.
Well Susi shouldn’t worry too much. If she and her fellow Indonesian officials keep making incredibly xenophobic and scaremongering statements like these, there is definitely going to be a steep decrease in the number of tourists, backpackers or otherwise, coming to Indonesia in the future.
