Identity from the first breath

Behind a baby’s first cry, a legal relationship between the state and its citizen is actually born. For years, many families in Indonesia knew this process as a long series of administrative affairs. The baby was born first, while the birth certificate, Population Identification Number (NIK), and updates to the Family Card followed days, even months, later. The city of Surabaya, East Java, is trying to reverse that perspective. As soon as a baby is born to parents holding a Surabaya ID card or Family Card, three civil administration documents are issued free of charge: the birth certificate, the Child Identity Card (KIA), and an updated Family Card. The Surabaya City Government targets all these documents to be completed within a maximum of 24 hours through cooperation with 69 hospitals and more than 150 health facilities and community health centres. At first glance, this service appears to be merely a bureaucratic innovation. Yet, its significance is far greater. The state is no longer present only after citizens request a service, but is present simultaneously with the birth of a new life. This is a paradigm shift in public service that deserves attention.