Why More Indonesians Want to Leave the Country: Shame, Disappointment, and a Crisis of National Trust

Lately, one sentence has become increasingly common among Indonesians online:

“I just want to leave this country.”

At first, it sounded like a joke — a temporary emotional reaction to political chaos or economic pressure. But today, for many young Indonesians, it has become a serious life plan.

The growing desire to move abroad is no longer only about salaries, career opportunities, or better education systems. There is a deeper emotional layer behind it: disappointment, exhaustion, and even embarrassment toward the country’s political leadership.

Many young people feel that Indonesia’s public image is deteriorating. Presidential speeches that spark controversy, emotional political communication, and public behavior seen as lacking dignity have created a psychological distance between the state and its younger generation.

Young people do not only need infrastructure and economic promises. They also need something symbolic: pride in their country.

They want to feel represented by leaders who appear calm, intelligent, and respected on the global stage. When that sense of pride disappears, trust slowly collapses with it.

And once trust collapses, people begin asking difficult questions:

• Is my future really safe here?
• Will critical voices still matter?
• Can this country still move forward?
• Should I build my life somewhere else instead?

This is where the issue becomes more serious than ordinary political criticism.

Indonesia may soon face a deeper wave of brain drain — the gradual loss of educated, skilled, and globally competitive citizens who no longer believe they can grow within their own country.

Today, more Indonesians are actively pursuing overseas scholarships, international careers, migration pathways, and even permanent residency opportunities abroad. Australia, Japan, Europe, and Canada are increasingly seen not just as destinations for study, but as emotional escape routes.

Ironically, many of these people still deeply love Indonesia.

They are not leaving because they hate their homeland. They are leaving because they are tired of hoping.

And perhaps that is the most dangerous part.

The real crisis is not simply about how many citizens leave. It is about how many emotionally disconnect from the nation itself.

When young people no longer feel proud of their country, nationalism slowly transforms into something administrative rather than emotional — a passport rather than a sense of belonging.

The impact may also shape younger generations in subtle but lasting ways.

Children and teenagers absorb political culture through observation. They learn not only from schools or parents, but from the people who hold the highest power in society. When public speeches normalize anger, mockery, impulsiveness, or poor communication ethics, those behaviors gradually become socially tolerated.

Leadership, after all, is never only about policies.

A president is also a psychological symbol. A reflection of national maturity. A model for public behavior.

Still, despite all the disappointment, one thing must remain clear: Indonesia is bigger than one president, one administration, or one political era.

Criticism is necessary. Disappointment is understandable. But giving up entirely may create another tragedy: the complete abandonment of public space by those who still care.

Because when every critical thinker chooses to leave, the only people left behind are those who are comfortable with decline.