Passport renewal

Passport renewal

From Kompas

As an Indonesian citizen of Chinese descent, I have long
experienced discriminatory treatment in renewing my passport.
Being a Chinese Indonesian, I was required to show original
documents of my parents and even of my late grandfather, which
encompassed the F3 form about relinquishing of the Chinese
citizenship, a name-change certificate, a certificate of evidence
of citizenship of the Republic of Indonesia (better know as
SBKRI), marriage certificates and birth certificates.

In view of the above, allow me to ask the officials
responsible for drafting the regulations whether all these
requirements are really necessary or are they just set forth to
treat Indonesian citizens of Chinese origin as big-wig criminals
whose lineage should arouse suspicion. My late grandfather, for
example, was born in Indonesia and was a naturalized Indonesian,
as proven by his SBKRI. I myself have got my own resident
identity card, a passport for an Indonesian citizen and all other
documents certifying that I am truly and legitimately an
Indonesian citizen. To obtain a piece of paper certifying that we
are legitimately Indonesian citizens, we -- parents, children and
grandchildren included -- have to go through a screening session,
for which a certain amount of money has to be paid as the fee.

It is strange but true, Indonesian citizens of non-Chinese
descent, for example those of Arabic stock, are not required to
possess SBKRI and a host of other documents to prove their
Indonesian citizenship.

Come on now, the government of the Republic of Indonesia. If
this is not discrimination, what is it then?

SANTOSO

Jakarta