Batam Mayor endorses SBKRI revocation

Batam Mayor endorses SBKRI revocation

Fadli, Batam

In order to end discrimination against the Chinese-Indonesian
community, Batam mayor Nyat Kadir has issued a decree to endorse
the revocation of the use of the citizenship certificate known as
SBKRI.

With the new decree, issued on July 30, Chinese-Indonesians in
Batam are no longer required to produce the SBKRI when applying
for an identity card, birth certificate or other personal
documents.

The chairman of the Chinese-Indonesian Association in Batam
(PSMTI), Soehendro Gautama, hailed the decree on Tuesday, saying
that the decree has long been awaited by some 150,000 Chinese-
Indonesians out of a total population of 560,000 in the city.

With the decree, it will be easier for the Chinese-Indonesian
community in Batam to apply for or extend birth certificates,
passports, identity cards and other documents.

"For almost 33 years, we have had to attach the SBKRI whenever
we apply for those documents. Thank God that, with the decree,
the discrimination against us has ended," said Soehendro.

The SBKRI has burdened Chinese-Indonesians for years, as they
have to pay government officials between Rp 3 million (US$ 315.8)
and Rp 7 million to obtain the certificate, mostly in illegal
fees.

The newly issued decree followed pressure from the Chinese-
Indonesian community, which demanded that the Mayor end the
requirement of attaching the SBKRI in applications for personal
documents.

The central government itself revoked the law on the use of
SBKRI in 1996, and the home minister issued executory regulations
to implement it, but in practice Chinese-Indonesians are still
required to produce it in many places in the country.

Lack of promotion of the central government decree has been
blamed on the negligence of government officials in the regions.

In this light, the decree issued by the Batam mayor provides
strong support for Chinese-Indonesians in the city.

"We realized that it would take time, but we requested the
Batam mayor to put an end to this practice in May this year, and
the mayor finally approved our proposal recently," said
Soehendro.

According to Soehendro, the SBKRI is extremely unfair.

"We have been here for years and have mingled with other
races, including Indians, Arabs and the indigenous people. Why
should we be treated any differently?" said Soehendro.

Separately, the head of the Batam Registrar's Office,
Buralimar, said that information about the mayor's decree had
been communicated to all neighborhoods and subdistricts in Batam.

The SBKRI dates back to 1965, when following an abortive coup,
which the government blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party
(PKI), the government introduced regulations aimed at curbing the
movement of Chinese-Indonesians in the country. The PKI was
closely affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. The
discriminatory laws included the requirement that all Chinese-
Indonesians possess a citizen's certificate.

Indonesians of Chinese descent account for approximately 3
percent, or around six million, of the country's 215 million
people. However, they control over 60 percent of the country's
economy.