City to cut red tape for ID document

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration plans to scrap eight of the 21 identification documents that foreigners, Chinese- Indonesians, non-Jakartans and even Jakartans require to live in the nation's capital, an official said yesterday.

The assistant to the city secretary for administrative affairs, Tursandi Alwi, said that ending these bureaucratic prerequisites would demonstrate the administration's determination to improve its public services in line with the spirit of reform.

"We know people complain about the burdensome regulations on population documents. That's why we intend to simplify the procedures," Tursandi said.

The eight requirements to be abandoned include a card bearing a registration number for residents below 17 years old and for unmarried indigenous Indonesians, a letter which Jakartans must obtain if they wish to move their residence to beyond the city's jurisdiction, an identification card required for the special citizenship granted to Chinese-Indonesians (popularly known as a K1), which must be submitted with applications for the statutory KTP identification card, and a card granting temporary residence to Chinese-Indonesians which is also necessary to obtain a KTP.

Also on the list to be scrapped is a letter required by foreigners applying for citizenship or temporary residence to verify their credentials and a further letter which is required to clarify those same credentials. Also to be abandoned is the preliminary examination approval letter which is required by non- Jakartans who wish to live in the nation's capital.

According to Tursandi, the use of many of these documents has already lapsed.

He said the administration has finished studying plans to smoothen the process of applying for population documents.

"We're now waiting for approval from the city council," he said.

City Governor Sutiyoso announced plans to scrap the K1 card on Thursday before 200 Chinese-Indonesians at the city hall.

He said the card was being scrapped to bring the rules governing Chinese-Indonesian KTP applicants into line with those laid out for other ethnic groups in Indonesian society.

"I admit that Chinese-Indonesians are discriminated against," he said.

Unlike other ethnic groups, Chinese-Indonesians must present their K1 cards, naturalization documents for those who have adopted Indonesian names, and identification letters from their neighborhood or subdistrict chiefs when they apply to renew their KTP -- which every Indonesian citizen must do once every three years.

According to E.J.A. Hutapea, chief of the West Jakarta office of the city's Population Agency, the K1 card is only required by Chinese-Indonesians. Other ethnic groups, such as Indians and Arabs, do not have to comply with this requirement, Hutapea said.

"Chinese-Indonesians are treated differently because they are the biggest ethnic group which originally came from outside the country. They have a large community in the country," he added.

"We are therefore afraid that the Chinese will obtain local ID cards if they are not required to submit their K1 cards when applying," Hutapea said. (ind)