Government plans ID number for every citizen
Government plans ID number for every citizen
JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to assign an identification (ID) number to every citizen for administration purposes beginning this year, Minister of Population Haryono Suyono said yesterday.
President Soeharto, who has already approved the plan, will be honored with the first ID number when the project is launched on Aug. 17 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Indonesia's independence, Haryono said.
After meeting with the head of state at Merdeka Palace, the minister said Soeharto will give ID numbers to the parents of babies born on Aug. 17, 1995, as a symbolic gesture in launching the project.
The ID number will be given to all new-born babies. Birth certificates will be issued with the numbers as will all subsequent ID cards, driver's licenses and other administrative documents, he said.
The ID numbers will be disseminated to the rest of the population in phases, Haryono said. "You can't expect this to be completed in one day. Malaysia needed three years and Thailand is taking 10 years. Indonesia hopes to complete, at least the data base, within two years."
He said the project will significantly expedite administrative tasks and "provide a better guarantee for the people to carry out their obligations and exercise their civic rights".
He added that a presidential decree regarding the issuance of the ID number is expected before August 17.
Haryono, who chairs the National Family Planning Board, also reported to the President on the government's plan to begin mass production of contraceptive implants. The government is hoping that more and more people will switch to this method to prevent pregnancy.
He said the plan is now underway to expand the existing production plants, in cooperation with companies from Finland and the Netherlands. The output will be made available to Indonesian couples and also exported.
The contraceptive implant, which is good for up to five years, will sell for Rp 75,000, though users will be able to pay for the implant on a yearly basis of Rp 15,000 installments. This, he added, should make the implant an attractive alternative. (emb)