The Best of Both Worlds

Indah Morgan remembers her 'black day' in 2004, when her father suddenly had a stroke. She immediately flew home to Indonesia, taking her 10-month old baby with her. She got the shock of her life when she presented her Indonesian passport at the immigration counter in Jakarta. "I was detained for an hour because they suspected that I may have kidnapped my employer's baby," Indah Morgan told Tempo, in the middle of a panel discussion on dual nationality in Bandung, last week.

She was unable to prove her baby was her own, not having brought her marriage certificate with her. Her Australian husband's call to the Immigration officers did not help, until the Australian Embassy spoke up on her behalf. By the time she was allowed to leave, she was very upset. The following year, she decided to take the Australian citizenship offered to her in Melbourne, where she lived with her husband, Steve. "I really didn't want to give up my Indonesian citizenship," said Indah. But Indonesia does not allow dual citizenship, except for children born of mixed-nationality parentage, until they reach 18 years of age, at which time they must choose.

August 11, 2015