Minister of Law guarantees expedited citizenship process for 'stateless' children

Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas has assured that the Ministry of Law will expedite the processing of citizenship applications for those with stateless status once all requirements are fulfilled. “We will process it immediately, ensuring that the citizen concerned is indeed currently declared stateless and that the requirements have been met, we will facilitate that,” Supratman said in Jakarta on Saturday. The Minister’s response addressed a petition from two brothers, Joshua Made Mahayana and Jordan Putu Mahayana, submitted during the Ministry’s ‘Pasti Ada Solusi’ programme on Friday. On that occasion, Jordan requested that the Minister help him and his brother regain their status as Indonesian citizens. Both have lived in Indonesia since they were three months old, completed their education from kindergarten to senior high school, and possess identity documents such as identity cards, family cards, and driving licences. Director of State Administration at the Ministry’s Directorate General of General Legal Administration, Dulyono, explained that the brothers were born in Australia to Indonesian parents. Because Australia adheres to the principle of ius soli, they acquired Australian citizenship. Dulyono noted that their current condition can be facilitated through a mechanism for determining citizenship status for those who are genuinely stateless. “Once it is proven they are stateless and choose to become Indonesian citizens, the government will provide legal certainty in accordance with applicable regulations,” Dulyono stated. Minister Supratman instructed the Director of State Administration to promptly follow up and process any similar verified complaints. He expressed hope that the ‘Pasti Ada Solusi’ programme would continue to be an effective means of strengthening communication between the Ministry and the public, while enhancing the quality of public services. He believes that resolving legal issues through open dialogue will provide better service certainty for the community. “Hopefully, this fourth episode will continue as we hope, in order to improve the quality of public services so that we can provide certainty for service users,” Supratman said.