Discrimination continues despite new ruling<\/p>\n
By Gedsiri Suhartono<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): One month ago Indonesians of Chinese descent
\nsighed in relief when a ruling was issued in an attempt to end
\nadministrative discrimination against them.<\/p>\n
However, for those who need the services of some local
\ngovernment offices, for example to get an identification card,
\nthe discrimination remains. Apparently, it will be some time
\nbefore the ruling is implemented at lower administrative levels.<\/p>\n
A resident of the Bintaro Jaya housing complex in South
\nJakarta said she still prefers to pay other people to handle her
\nlegal affairs. \"It's much easier, and I don't have to encounter
\nthe many difficulties,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Another Indonesian of Chinese descent, who obtained her
\nnationality from her parents, said that she is not surprised to
\nfind persisting difficulties despite the recently-issued law.<\/p>\n
\"It is so common for people of Chinese descent, especially in
\nIndonesia, to encounter all sorts of difficulties,\" she said. \"It
\nwill take a long period of transition before the ruling has any
\nimpact. Here, sometimes, laws remain mere words.\"<\/p>\n
A presidential decree dated July 9 waived the requirement for
\nthe wife and children of naturalized citizens to obtain a court
\ndocument stating their Indonesian nationality.<\/p>\n
Through Presidential Decree no. 56\/1996, Indonesian
\ncitizenship becomes automatic. The affected people will no longer
\nbe required to obtain the court document, known by its Indonesian
\nabbreviation as SBKRI, for administrative matters such as school
\nenrollment and the application for identity cards and passports.<\/p>\n
In contrast with people of other foreign origins such as Arabs
\nor Indian, many ethnically Chinese people may still have to
\nendure discrimination until the ruling is implemented.<\/p>\n
Despite the presidential decree, the ethnic Chinese continue
\nto be nagged by local administrative officials demanding they
\nproduce court documents proving Indonesian nationality.<\/p>\n
Subdistrict offices, whose services are needed for a great
\nnumber of administrative matters, still insist that Chinese
\napplicants show their SBKRI.<\/p>\n
\"We are just doing our job and we need to make sure that
\neverything is correct,\" Ating Wiyono, deputy of the Bendungan
\nHilir subdistrict in Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Subdistrict offices are agencies which deal directly with
\nresidents' legal matters, including the issuing of \"family cards\"
\nor the registration of family members residing at one address,
\nidentification cards, and the reporting of births and deaths.<\/p>\n
Ating said he heard about the presidential decree, but that he
\nstill needed to be vigilant out of fear that people would abuse
\nhis office's services to obtain multiple identification cards.<\/p>\n
\"We need the data (on SKBRI) for our records. It is also a
\nmeans for us to monitor their assimilation process with local
\nresidents,\" Ating said. He did not elaborate.<\/p>\n
An official at a subdistrict in Tangerang insisted that she
\nhad not heard about the new decree and will continue to ask for
\nevidence of citizenship from ethnically Chinese people who
\nrequest her office's services.<\/p>\n
\"We have not received any instruction that SBKRI is no longer
\nneeded. Unless I hear otherwise, I will continue to ask for it,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
Djohan Djauhari, chairman of the Indonesian Bar Association,
\ncriticized the persistence of some local officials to demand
\nSKBRI from people of Chinese descent even when they already have
\nidentification cards.<\/p>\n
\"The family cards or the IDs, which both state their owners'
\nnationality, should be sufficient for most administrative
\nmatters,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Why would they doubt the truth of documents they themselves
\nissued?\" Djohan said of the subdistrict officials' insistence on
\nthe production of SKBRI.<\/p>\n
He then suggested that officials apply a more stringent
\nprocedure in application of IDs so that the cards become more
\ncredible and not easily abused.<\/p>\n
Another noted lawyer, Mohammad Assegaf, lamented the corrupt
\nofficials who extort money from the public in exchange for
\nservices.<\/p>\n
Assegaf also lamented the habit of many people who avoid the
\ncomplicated administrative procedures by, among other things,
\noffering bribes. \"It's very typical for many people to shortcut
\nthe difficulties by using money to get the wheels going,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Djohan also criticized the poor law enforcement in Indonesia
\nand lack of sanctions against officials found to be guilty of
\ncorruption or taking bribes.<\/p>\n
\"I doubted that those local officials are ever reprimanded for
\ntheir mistakes, so perhaps it is too far fetched to talk about
\nsanctions,\" Djohan added.<\/p>",
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