Govt appears to be reluctant to end discriminatory policies<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite increasing calls for an end to racial discrimination, the
\ngovernment appears reluctant to eradicate institutionalized
\ndiscrimination against Chinese-Indonesians.<\/p>\n
This reluctance was amply demonstrated by a letter dated Sept.
\n6, 2002, from Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza
\nMahendra to State Secretary Bambang Kesowo, a copy of which was
\nseen by The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Responding to President Megawati Soekarnoputri's instruction
\nto revoke a ministerial decree requiring Chinese-Indonesians to
\nacquire a Republic of Indonesia Citizenship Certificate (SBKRI),
\nYusril said that the issuing of a ministerial decree revoking the
\nSBKRI requirement would run contrary to Law No. 62\/1958 on
\ncitizenship and Presidential Decree No 52\/1977 on demographic
\naffairs.<\/p>\n
Presidential Decree No. 56\/1996, however, stipulated that all
\nthe laws and regulations on the SBKRI requirement were no longer
\neffective. Nevertheless, according to Yusril, the decree applied
\nonly to wives and children whose husbands, fathers, or mothers
\npossessed an SBKRI.<\/p>\n
"To avoid legal uncertainty, the revocation of the SBKRI
\nrequirement must await the House's deliberation of the new
\ncitizenship bill," read the letter.<\/p>\n
The House has initiated and is currently deliberating a bill
\non citizenship.<\/p>\n
The SBKRI is required by various institutions, such as the
\nimmigration office and state universities for Chinese-Indonesian
\napplicants.<\/p>\n
Chinese-Indonesians, who number about six million, have
\nconsistently complained about the SBKRI requirement and called on
\nthe government to take action to abolish it.<\/p>\n
Besides the SBKRI requirement, there are a number of other
\ndiscriminatory requirements that need to be abolished.<\/p>\n
Chinese-Indonesians, however, have recovered some of their
\ncivil rights, a development highlighted by the designation of the
\nLunar New Year (Imlek), as a national holiday by the government.<\/p>\n
Director for State Administration at the Ministry of Justice
\nand Human Rights Ramly Hutabarat said the revocation of the SBKRI
\nrules depended on the House.<\/p>\n
"We have not yet included an article on the revocation of the
\nSBKRI requirement in the bill," he said.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cabinet Secretary Erman Radjagukguk said that Yusril
\nhad sent an official letter to his office regarding the latter's
\nstance.<\/p>\n
"He said in his letter that for security reasons and due to
\ncitizenship technicalities, it would be difficult to revoke the
\ndiscriminatory laws at the moment," Erman told the Post.<\/p>\n
"His response is a setback to our efforts. We have been
\ninvolved in repeated debates with him over his letter," the
\nofficial added.<\/p>\n
Erman said that according to Yusril, it would be impossible to
\nrevoke the SBKRI ruling as there would be too many citizenship
\ndocuments that would need to be revised in such an eventuality.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-appears-to-be-reluctant-to-end-discriminatory-policies-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}