Batam Mayor endorses SBKRI revocation<\/p>\n
Fadli, Batam<\/p>\n
In order to end discrimination against the Chinese-Indonesian
\ncommunity, Batam mayor Nyat Kadir has issued a decree to endorse
\nthe revocation of the use of the citizenship certificate known as
\nSBKRI.<\/p>\n
With the new decree, issued on July 30, Chinese-Indonesians in
\nBatam are no longer required to produce the SBKRI when applying
\nfor an identity card, birth certificate or other personal
\ndocuments.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Chinese-Indonesian Association in Batam
\n(PSMTI), Soehendro Gautama, hailed the decree on Tuesday, saying
\nthat the decree has long been awaited by some 150,000 Chinese-
\nIndonesians out of a total population of 560,000 in the city.<\/p>\n
With the decree, it will be easier for the Chinese-Indonesian
\ncommunity in Batam to apply for or extend birth certificates,
\npassports, identity cards and other documents.<\/p>\n
\"For almost 33 years, we have had to attach the SBKRI whenever
\nwe apply for those documents. Thank God that, with the decree,
\nthe discrimination against us has ended,\" said Soehendro.<\/p>\n
The SBKRI has burdened Chinese-Indonesians for years, as they
\nhave to pay government officials between Rp 3 million (US$ 315.8)
\nand Rp 7 million to obtain the certificate, mostly in illegal
\nfees.<\/p>\n
The newly issued decree followed pressure from the Chinese-
\nIndonesian community, which demanded that the Mayor end the
\nrequirement of attaching the SBKRI in applications for personal
\ndocuments.<\/p>\n
The central government itself revoked the law on the use of
\nSBKRI in 1996, and the home minister issued executory regulations
\nto implement it, but in practice Chinese-Indonesians are still
\nrequired to produce it in many places in the country.<\/p>\n
Lack of promotion of the central government decree has been
\nblamed on the negligence of government officials in the regions.<\/p>\n
In this light, the decree issued by the Batam mayor provides
\nstrong support for Chinese-Indonesians in the city.<\/p>\n
\"We realized that it would take time, but we requested the
\nBatam mayor to put an end to this practice in May this year, and
\nthe mayor finally approved our proposal recently,\" said
\nSoehendro.<\/p>\n
According to Soehendro, the SBKRI is extremely unfair.<\/p>\n
\"We have been here for years and have mingled with other
\nraces, including Indians, Arabs and the indigenous people. Why
\nshould we be treated any differently?\" said Soehendro.<\/p>\n
Separately, the head of the Batam Registrar's Office,
\nBuralimar, said that information about the mayor's decree had
\nbeen communicated to all neighborhoods and subdistricts in Batam.<\/p>\n
The SBKRI dates back to 1965, when following an abortive coup,
\nwhich the government blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party
\n(PKI), the government introduced regulations aimed at curbing the
\nmovement of Chinese-Indonesians in the country. The PKI was
\nclosely affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. The
\ndiscriminatory laws included the requirement that all Chinese-
\nIndonesians possess a citizen's certificate.<\/p>\n
Indonesians of Chinese descent account for approximately 3
\npercent, or around six million, of the country's 215 million
\npeople. However, they control over 60 percent of the country's
\neconomy.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/batam-mayor-endorses-sbkri-revocation-1447893297",
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