Bandung City Council Proposes Bylaw on Population Administration

The Bandung City Council (DPRD) has proposed a Draft Regional Regulation (Raperda) on the Implementation of Population Administration to replace Regional Regulation Number 8 of 2012 in conjunction with Regional Regulation Number 4 of 2015. The drafting of this new regulation is a strategic step to align local policy with developments in national law, the digital transformation of public services, and increasingly complex population dynamics. As a metropolitan centre for education, trade, and services, Bandung experiences high population mobility, including a growing number of non-permanent residents. This situation demands a more adaptive and accurate population administration system capable of responding to technological advancements and the needs of the community. Data from the Bandung City Population and Civil Registration Office shows the city’s population has reached 2,605,916 people. Despite improvements in service coverage, there remain 12,988 residents of mandatory age who do not yet possess an electronic identity card (e-KTP), 15,730 children without birth certificates, and a Digital Identity activation rate of only 19.35 percent, which is below the national target of 30 percent. The city has also recorded at least 2,372 non-permanent residents. The importance of establishing this bylaw is further underscored by various social phenomena, including a recent confinement case in a boarding house in Bandung Regency. Radea Respati, Chair of Commission I of the Bandung City Council, assessed that such incidents demonstrate the government’s failure to maximise the implementation of population administration. Through this Raperda, Respati is pushing for the strengthening of mandatory reporting obligations for non-permanent residents via the Temporary Residence Certificate (SKTS), as stipulated in population administration provisions, rather than resorting to public manhunts. He argued that enforcing these provisions is not merely an administrative matter but an instrument to improve data validity and strengthen coordination between the Population and Civil Registration Office, local authorities, boarding house managers, neighbourhood and community units, and sub-district and district officials in registering incoming residents. Respati believes that compliance with SKTS reporting obligations must be accompanied by increased supervision and socialisation for owners and managers of boarding houses, rented rooms, and other temporary dwellings. This would ensure that every non-permanent resident staying for a certain period is recorded in the population administration system without compromising their constitutional rights or personal data protection. Strengthening the enforcement of the Population Administration bylaw is expected to foster a culture of administrative order while supporting the creation of a safer, more orderly, and responsive environment to potential social problems. The proposed bylaw also accommodates various national policy developments, including the implementation of the Centralised Population Administration Information System (SIAK Terpusat), Digital Population Identity, certified electronic signatures, and enhanced personal data protection in accordance with statutory provisions. Various service innovations already implemented by the Bandung City Government, such as online services (e-spasi), the Child Identity Card, Braille birth certificates, Mepeling, the Birth Certificate Delivery Service, electronic registration for non-permanent residents (e-PunTEN), mobile services, affirmative services for vulnerable groups, and cross-agency collaboration, will also gain a stronger legal foundation through this regional regulation, ensuring their sustainability. The Draft Regional Regulation on Population Administration is directed towards realising a more modern, inclusive, and responsive population administration service that is oriented towards protecting community rights. The regulation also clarifies the division of authority between the central and regional governments in administering population services, while strengthening services for vulnerable groups, non-permanent residents, and those facing barriers to accessing digital services. Respati emphasised that enforcing the Population Administration bylaw must be part of an effort to build data-based social security, ensuring that every movement and presence of residents is properly recorded, supporting the effectiveness of public services, and strengthening the function of preventing potential public order disturbances.