ID checks
ID checks
An ID check was recently organized by the West Jakarta
mayoralty in the Meruya and Palmerah areas. People in public
transportation vehicles, people using their own motor vehicles
and pedestrians were asked to show their ID.
People who could show their Jakarta ID passed the test, but
people who did not carry their ID and people who could only show
an ID issued in the provinces without a travel permit were fined
up to Rp 50,000. It was said these offenders had violated
Jakarta's population regulation. Hundreds of people were
constrained to pay the fine though under protest.
In my opinion, what is interesting is the fine imposed on
people from outside Jakarta who were visiting the capital city.
They did carry their ID from their hometown.
To my knowledge there is no regulation that Indonesians
traveling within Indonesian territory must have a travel permit.
IDs are valid throughout the country, regardless of where they
are issued.
The constitution says that Indonesian citizens can live
wherever they want in Indonesia. From the aspect of human rights,
Indonesian citizens can move freely throughout Indonesia. If the
country were in a state of war, a travel permit might be
compulsory.
In my opinion, the ID raid carried out by the West Jakarta
mayoralty is arbitrary, illegal and exaggerated. I appeal to both
the central government and the provincial administrations, the
House of Representatives and the National Commission on Human
Rights, to take measures to prevent such raids from recurring
anywhere in Indonesia.
What if people in the provinces took revenge and made ID
checks and fined people from outside for not carrying a travel
permit?
In theory, anybody who is fined by a provincial administration
can sue administration at the State Administrative Court. But for
the people it would be useless to do so. They can only accept the
treatment dealt out by the authoritarian provincial
administration.
Is it only power that is in force in this country? Has this
country become a police state?
SUHARSONO HADIKUSUMO
Jakarta