Population Movement in Indonesia Since 1971

Abstract

"This paper attempts to overview and assess developments in the scale, types and impact of population mobility in Indonesia since 1971." Difficulties concerning the availability of data are first considered. "Using qualitative and quantitative information from a range of sources it is evident in this paper that population mobility in Indonesia has a level, scale and complexity that belies the conventional stereotyping of most Indonesians as being highly immobile, scarcely travelling beyond the well-trodden social space of their village and its immediate environs. There are many reasons to explain the increasing population movement; however, there is uncertainty surrounding future patterns of population movement in Indonesia."

Missing links in the forest–migration nexus: An analysis of trends, literature and data sources

“…These movements have been especially associated with certain historically 'highly mobile ethnic groups,' such as the Bugis, the Minangkabau, the Banjarese, the Madurese, the Javanese and the Batak (Tirtosudarmo 2009, 39), who have established traditions of migration going back centuries. During colonization, spontaneous agricultural colonization continued mostly in the 'Outer Islands' -a term used to denote all Indonesian islands other than Java and Madura -where colonial influence was limited (Hugo 1980;Tirtosudarmo 2009, 3). 'Highly mobile ethnic groups' have continued to show high levels of mobility to this day, not only in terms of agricultural colonization but increasingly also other forms of (labor) migration.…”

“…Like rural migration, migration to cities has been important since before colonization, when people, particularly traders and slaves, (were) moved to port cities and capitals of inland kingdoms (Hugo 1980;. The colonial system ensured the rapid growth of port cities for collecting and transporting products, as well as the development of smaller towns for the collection of goods, administrative entities and military garrisons.…”

“…The Dutch colonial Government of Indonesia was generally opposed to the out-migration of the labor force, but did not effectively prevent and occasionally actively facilitated the movement of 'contract-coolies' who went to work on plantations in Malaya, Surinam, New Caledonia and some other countries (Hugo 1980;Bachtiar 2011, 29). Spontaneous out-migration continued without government support after independence.…”

Migration decision-making and migration industry in the Indonesia–Malaysia corridor

“…3. Similar to informal agents (ronselaars or werfagenten), recruiting labour for work on estates and in mines on Indonesia's outer islands or abroad (Dutch west-Indies, Malaysia, New Caledonia) by persuasion or deceit was part of a system of indentured labour during colonial times (Hugo 1980). 4.…”

Re‐imagining Borders: Malay Identity and Indonesian Migrants in Malaysia

“…Besides official recruitment, much migration to Malaysia is clandestine, and exact figures on immigrants are not known. Mid-1980 estimates of Indonesians in Peninsular Malaysia range between 200,000 and 700,000 (ESCAP 1985;Hugo 1988). This flow was relatively unrestricted by the Government because of its importance for Malaysia's economic development, as advocated by the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) and Malaysian employers associations.…”