SOLVING ROHINGYA REFUGEES? PROBLEMS THROUGH CIVIC DIPLOMACY

By Parni Hadi, journalist/founding chairman of Dompet Dhuafa

 

  1. Welcome to the delegates and thanks for attending this conference. Thank you to SEAHUM and Dompet Dhuafa for the initiative to organize the meeting and many thanks for the contribution of all to make the conference taking place. 
  1. Refugees’ come out of domestic political conflicts. The defeated ones seek for safety, an asylum in safer places in foreign countries. The outflow and inflow of refugees’ could create bilateral diplomatic problems between the sending and receiving countries. 
  1. Refugees’ problems have become humanitarian issues causing regional and global (UN) concern. 
  1. While most Rohingya refugees’ are Muslims it does not mean it is just a religion (religious) issue, but a humanitarian case prompting regional (ASEAN) and global (UNHCR) concern. Humanity is above nationalism (national interest) and regionalism (regional interest). 
  1. Religous (Islamic) solidarity due to brotherhood/sisterhood’s symphaty is not enough to solve the Rohingya refugees’ problems. Their sufferings do not affect and become the concern of only the fellow Muslims in the receiving countries, but they should be the burdens and responsibility of the whole nation and government of each respective hosting country. 
  1. In Indonesia, the Rohingya brothers and sisters plus their children are guests of the Indonesian people. Therefore, the Indonesian government shoud give more attention to the Rohingya guests’ plight and try to find the way out. To solve the Rohingya problems, the government should give a total commitment, including political, financial, social, moral and humanitarian supports. 
  1. Poverty affecting the refugees must be uplifted. The poor suffer the most. Women and children are the most affected. They are often exploited at home and in the receiving country. Dompet Dhuafa (DD) has initiated programs to help the Rohingnya problems by fulfilling their basic needs, which include food, shelter, health, clothes, education for children, social acceptance and places for worship. 
  1. DD has launched empowerment programs for Rohingya refugees’ in cooperation with local governments and UNHCR. A special musical television show titled “Voice of Children” for fund-raising was organised in Jakarta several months ago. The collected funds are used to provide stateless children with birth certificates and other empowerment pograms. A high appreciation must be attributed to Madame Noor Traavik, wife of the Norwegian Ambassador to Indonesia, for her total, tireless and painstaking efforts to pioneer the charity musical show. 
  1. Indonesia should launch a total diplomacy, which I call “civic diplomacy”, involving all citizens, which is possibly now known as “public diplomacy”. Civic diplomacy is done through “people to people” contacts through all means, involving social media, conventional media (press diplomacy) with particular emphasises on social (humanitarian) and cultural concrete activities supported by the businees/industry people sothat they channel their CSR funds to help overcome the refugees’ problems, in addition to usual diplomatic channels. 
  1. Indonesia has ample experiences as a transit country for refugees’, particularly the Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s until 1990s. The Vietnamese refugees’ were accommodated in Galang Island, near Batam, south of Singapore, at the expense of the UN with the support of international funding agencies until they find the final stay in the third country. 
  1. In the case of Rohingya refugees’, DD has an appeal to the Indonesian President to issue a presidential decree allotting a special state budget for the refugees’ to reduce the use of social funds, including zakat, infaq, sedekah and wakaf collected by Moslems sothat the so-called “Muslim (Islamic) funds” can be used for other purposes, particularly to eradicate poverty affecting non refugees’.  

 

Note:

a). DD has tried to invite the Director General of Public Diplomacy of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ms. Esti Andayani to give a keynote speech. But, she is unable to come, because she is still in New York until May, 20, 2016. She has expressed her regret and send best wishes to all delegates of this conference. 

b). Efforts have been alo made to invite Coordinating Minister for Political, Law and Security Affairs, General Luhut Binsar Panjaitan to deliver his speech. He seems too busy, because until  last (Tuesday) night he had not given his confirmation. But, as far as I know, he is a true Indonesian who cares  humanitarian problems, including those affecting the Rohingya refugees’.

 

Bogor, 18 May, 2016.