House to debate population bill

House to debate population bill

Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives unanimously agreed on Tuesday to
deliberate the draft revision of Law No. 10/1992, which seeks a
jail term and fine for citizens who fail to report a child's
birth or a family member's death.

Spokesman for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P) faction Surya Chandra Surapatty told a House plenary
meeting the punishment was necessary to encourage people to
support an improvement in the country's population data.

"Population is crucial in the development of this country.
Therefore, the government needs to maintain systematic population
records, which will contribute to a strong and orderly nation,"
Surya said in reading out the faction's response to the bill,
which will replace the existing law.

He asserted the absence of accurate population records could
weaken the country's ability to develop good governance.

"Fuel subsidies, for example, could not be distributed
directly to poor people because there was no accurate data on the
number of low-income families. The subsidy was distributed via a
variety of sectors, and, as a result, only a small proportion of
it reached the needy," he said.

By keeping systematic population records the government will
be able to provide social insurance for those who need it, via
smoother procedures, he said.

Article 20 of the draft spells out that citizens who fail to
report a birth, death or migration in a family will face a
maximum punishment of six months in jail or a fine of up to Rp 10
million (US$1,176).

The National Awakening Party (PKB) faction shared the opinion.
Reading the faction's response to the bill, its spokesperson,
Sukiarti M. Karim, said punishment was necessary to raise citizen
awareness of the importance of recording population growth
properly.

The bill, drafted by House legislators, has drawn protest from
the public.

Wardah Hafidz of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) objected to
article 20 of the bill, calling it "unacceptable and totally
ridiculous."

"The article just doesn't make sense. It shows that the
government refuses to take responsibility for providing services
for its citizens," Wardah told the Post.

Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) Deputy Chairman Tubagus Haryo
Karbyanto suggested that the government be more practical on
systematic population recording.

"When formulating the draft, the House and government have not
seen the reality. The draft may be applicable, but only to
certain places that are well-equipped with recording centers; not
to remote areas," he said.

He suggested that instead of demanding that citizens report on
their children's birth or the death of family members, the
government should take the initiative in making records on its
citizens.

"Government officials should 'go after the ball,' instead of
just sitting in their offices," he said.