Indonesians, especially those living in the US, hope that the overall relationship between their country and America could improve going forward. — AP
IN the heart of Washington, DC, just a three-minute walk from the White House, an Indonesian coffee shop was among the few businesses in the area without their windows boarded up.
Two days before Tuesday’s election showdown, the shop’s neighbours had begun putting up wooden planks to shield their storefronts, anticipating potential civil unrest.
Tensions in the United States capital were palpable as the race between Republican Party nominee Donald Trump and Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris entered its final days. Images from the 2020 election, when some 2,000 people stormed the US Capitol building following Trump’s defeat, were seemingly still fresh in the city’s memory, as seen from the increased level of security ahead of the polls and the rows upon rows of boarded up windows.
“The city is very politically active, so people are more or less taking precautions,” Dimas Nugraha, a 20-year-old US-born Indonesian who worked at the coffee shop, told The Jakarta Post, just ahead of election day.
“Some immigrants are rightfully feeling anxious. My parents, who were born in Indonesia, feel a little anxious, but all you can do is have faith,” he said.Then Trump on Tuesday achieved what he called “the biggest political victory” the US “has ever seen”.
The debate around key issues such as the economy, immigration and foreign policy was a cornerstone of the divisive election, drawing global attention and interest for their potentially far-reaching consequences. Not any less invested in the race were the legions of international residents of the US, which include some 130,000 Indonesians, who closely watched the election from the sidelines hoping for the best.
On the campaign trail, Trump took a hardline approach on immigration, saying he would order mass deportations of millions of undocumented migrants if re-elected. He has also accused immigrants of “poisoning the blood of our country”.
For Indonesian citizens living in the US, like other groups that have no say in the US election, one major hope was that the overall relationship between their country and the US could improve going forward.
“As a student, there are fears about this election affecting things like post-graduation permits, benefits, health care and other stuff,” said Ahmad Syarif, an Indonesian doctoral student.
“When it comes to US-Indonesia relations, I only hope that the two countries can be cozier with each other, especially in their people-to-people connection. Can you believe there are no Indonesian restaurants in the capital?”Despite being a relatively small and dispersed population, Indonesians living in the US have steadily increased in number over the past few decades, doubling between 2000 and 2019, according to data from the Pew Research Center.
Many members of the diaspora community have expressed their wish for better people-to-people linkages, explaining that while the two countries have had some forms of economic and political cooperation, most Americans still know very little about Indonesia, a lack of exposure that they say can be felt on various levels.
Despite the surging number of Indonesian students, for instance, Syarif said he could feel the dwindling interest in Indonesian studies in the American academic world, pointing to the decreasing number of universities with ongoing Indonesia-focused research.
“Our current relationship with the US is so stakes-driven and mostly at the government level. It should be way more fluid than this,” he said.
At the smaller business scale, advertising Indonesian products comes with its own set of challenges, with low awareness the main issue.
“There are only a few Indonesian coffee shops on the East Coast, including the one I work at. If only people knew Indonesia was a coffee giant, it’d be great to have more of that here. Coffee, food, culture, everything,” Dimas said.
Amid the increasingly complex geopolitical landscape, characterised by rivalries and divisions, many members of the diaspora community hoped the US election would bring about more stability and peace.
“Whatever happens, I hope that going forward the US government will strive to become a wise superpower,” said Fauzan Malufti, another Indonesian student residing in the capital, “one that can accommodate the different perspectives of the world, including Indonesia’s and Asean’s.”
The last time Trump was in office, Indonesia was quickly placed on a trade “hit list” alongside other Asean countries in the hope that the US’ trade balance with the countries would tip in favour of Washington. — The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network
