Expats working in Indonesia now forced to learn the language

Expats with jobs in Indonesia must now learn the language. The Indonesian president’s decree intended to simplify the issuing of expat work permits also includes mandatory training in the Indonesian language. Unsurprisingly, the expat business community in the country has been caught off guard by the announcement, as have Indonesian-owned companies which employ foreign workers. To date, the government has given no explanation as to the reasons behind the new requirement, but expats familiar with the country are suggesting it might simply represent a clever political move by the president. \\r\\n\\r\\nPresident Joko Widodo will run for re-election in 2019, with the new rule a possible attempt to placate political rivals who’re accusing him of opening the floodgates for foreign labour by making work permits easier to obtain. The complaints are partly justified by the ever-increasing number of illegal entries by Chinese labourers using tourist visas to work on infrastructure projects funded by Beijing. These illegals would not be forced to learn Indonesian as they’re unregistered workers. Expats unable or unwilling to go to language classes will lose their work permits. \\r\\n\\r\\nThe decree comes into force at the end of this month and requires firms employing expats for more than six months to arrange and fund Indonesian language courses held at local schools. Attendance certificates must be provided, and sanctions will be imposed on companies which fail to comply with the new law. Indonesian is a variant of the Malay language mixed with Javanese, Sudanese and several other minority local languages. The basics of the formal language and its grammar are easy to learn, but it’s not the Indonesian that nationals speak in everyday life.