Bekasi residents upset over ID cards

Bekasi residents upset over ID cards

BEKASI, West Java (JP): Thousands of Bekasi residents have
complained about the complicated process involved in getting and
renewing ID cards, now that birth certificates are a
prerequisite.

The residents said most of them have birth acknowledgement
documents, known locally as akta kenal lahir, instead of birth
certificates, or akta kelahiran.

Akta kenal lahir can be applied for wherever a citizen lives
provided that he or she can get acknowledgement from those who
knew where and when he or she was born. The document can be
obtained years after an applicant is born.

Akta kelahiran are made available by the local administration
for a newly-born baby based on the birth report made by the
parents and acknowledged by the neighborhood and village chiefs.

The Bekasi residents are complaining they are caught in a
catch-22 situation. They need ID cards to apply for a akta
kelahiran, but must show their akta kelahiran when applying for
an ID card.

"We do not know how to deal with this problem," Nurbani, an ID
applicant said.

The problem emerged after the Bekasi regent, Moch. Djamhari,
issued an instruction on April 18, requiring ID card applicants
to show their birth certificates.

In an effort to reduce the bureaucracy involved, the head of
the civil affairs office, Dennie Setiawan, called on those in
charge of the issuance of ID cards to be more tolerant. "Let them
get their new ID cards if they can show an official letter saying
they are processing their birth certificate.

"This means people will not accuse the regent of creating more
bureaucracy with his instruction," he added.

The residents have also complained about the high fees they
have to pay when applying for birth certificates. "The fee is
only Rp 20,000 for the first child and Rp 25,000 for the second
child," Dennie said.

The regent's instruction has however encouraged those in
charge of issuing birth certificate to play foul. They ask the
applicants for between Rp 150,000 and Rp 300,000 for one birth
certificate. (sur)