Jakartans to use new ID cards by early next year
Jakartans to use new ID cards by early next year
JAKARTA (JP): City administration will start implementing a
new type of identity card early next year, a high-ranking city
official announced yesterday.
Deputy Governor for Government Affairs Idroes said that first,
city administration should provide some additional equipment,
such as computer hardware, and make an adjustment to the current
regulations on identity cards.
"City administration will adjust itself to the new system as
soon as possible, after we have completed the necessary
procedures, and the city population agency has predicted that we
will be ready by the end of this year," Idroes told reporters.
He explained that the city administration has been equipped
with computers to process the new identity cards. "But we still
need additional equipment and it will take time."
Another aspect to prepare, which will take longer, is city
rulings governing the issuance of identity cards, such as a
decree that stipulates the fee charged to get the new card. Based
on the current decree the fee is only Rp 1,000 (45 US cents) per
card, while the new cards will cost Rp 3,000 each.
"We have to propose a new decree, which should be approved by
the City Council, and this process will take longer than the
process of adding to the number of computers," Idroes said.
He said that, in the meantime, the city administration will
keep issuing the old type of identity cards to Jakartans whose
current cards will expire in the near future.
"The city administration will still issue the old type of
cards and we will be implementing the new one later," Idroes
said.
The new identity card, which will also contain a citizenship
number, was initiated last week, by giving President Soeharto and
First Lady Tien Soeharto the new identity cards.
Through the citizenship number the government intends to
improve its population management, by developing its data base,
because the number is valid for life and will be stated in every
document necessary, such as in birth certificates.
It is also hoped that Indonesians will be more familiar with,
and more serious about, population data.
The card, valid for three years, also contains personal
information, such as name, address, religion and date of birth.
The card is valid nationally because of the citizenship
number. Therefore, it will be impossible for Indonesians to have
more than one card.
The minister of home affairs has stressed that the
implementation will be carried out in phases, with the first
phase to be carried out in January 1996, in all capital cities of
the country's 27 provinces. (yns)