ID card operation comes under fire from councilors
JAKARTA (JP): City councilors, whose term of office ends today, city officials and the public have criticized the City Population Agency's identification (ID) card inspection operation launched Monday.
Strong objections have been expressed about the operation in which population office staff fine people not carrying Jakarta ID cards.
People from outside Jakarta must have travel documents while in Jakarta or they are liable to be fined.
City Council Speaker M.H. Ritonga questioned this requirement.
"By asking for travel documents, there is an impression that the capital isn't safe," Ritonga said Wednesday.
Councilor Saud Rachman of the United Development Party said, "The population agency has to be careful in conducting the operation. There's no regulation on the need to carry travel documents."
Deputy Governor of Administrative Affairs Idroes said he had ordered the head of the City Population Agency to check whether his officials were really asking for travel documents during the ID inspection operation.
"Jakarta isn't a closed city. People who have ID cards from other cities can visit Jakarta. It's no problem. People don't need to bring travel documents to enter Jakarta and an ID card is enough," Idroes told reporters at his office.
He said that, if the reports were true, the officials should be disciplined.
"I've asked the head of the population agency to check the reports and to investigate if there were officials, who acted recklessly," Idroes said.
When asked whether the agency should return the money from fines, Idroes said that he had to wait for the agency's report before he could make such a decision.
"I have told the agency to report to me soon," he said.
He said the operation was intended to find out whether people were abiding by population regulations.
"An ID card is necessary to know a person's identity in unexpected circumstances," Idroes said.
Sociologist Sardjono Jatiman of the University of Indonesia told The Jakarta Post yesterday that modern people were highly mobile.
"It is common that someone in Ujungpandang asked to go to Jakarta immediately to do business would go the next day. He would go the capital without time to gain the travel documents," he said.
"If everyone coming to Jakarta is fined, who actually owns Jakarta?" he asked. Every citizen has the right to enter the capital, he said, adding that this was not the colonial era.
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said Wednesday night that the ID card checks were in line with city population regulations.
"The operation was conducted based on the regulations. What's wrong?" the governor asked.
When asked about the need for travel documents, he asked: "What kind of travel documents?"
Another 141
In an on-the-spot hearing at West Jakarta's Kapuk subdistrict office, 141 people were fined Wednesday for not having Jakarta ID cards.
The 141 were among the more than 1,600 people checked by population agency staff and police in an ID inspection operation on Jl. Kapuk Raya.
Another 182 people were fined in a similar operation Wednesday in Palmerah, West Jakarta.
The officers stopped traffic and inspected the ID of motorists and passengers on public buses and mikrolet minivans. The officers also distributed brochures on application procedures for ID cards.
"The operation is also aimed at showing people how to get ID cards," said Sugiyanto, an official at West Jakarta's population agency.
Sugiyanto said the fines of between Rp 5,000 (US$2.08) and Rp 20,000 were to remind people without ID cards to apply as soon as possible.
The hearing in West Jakarta was led by a district court judge, Bagus Sugiri. Two defense lawyers from the court's Legal Aid Unit were also present.
The people, who mostly had ID cards from other cities, looked confused and disappointed about being fined.
A food vendor, Nani, who was fined Rp 10,600, said the fine was more than her and her family could afford.
"I've tried to apply for an ID here. But it's too complicated," said the mother of three who has an ID card from Serang, West Java.
Most of the people fined were poor because Kapuk is a slum area. Kapuk borders with other slum areas in North Jakarta.
The people became more disappointed when police from the Cengkareng Police subprecinct began a driving license inspection operation on the same road Wednesday.
Witnesses said that at least 10 motorists were given traffic tickets.
The city population agency also conducted checks on Jl. Meruya Ilir, Kembangan, Monday and on Jl. KH. Taisir, Palmerah, Tuesday. The inspections are to continue in Tegal Alur subdistrict next Monday. All areas are in West Jakarta.
Rp 1.7 million was collected in fines in Kembangan, and Rp 1.6 million was collected in Palmerah. (jun/ste)