Surnames and birth certificates

From Kompas

I need a birth certificate for my two-week-old son. I was startled to hear from a registry office employee that by virtue of a regulation in force, our surname cannot be included on my son's birth certificate. The employee further said that because my name is noted on my son's birth certificate, my son has automatically acquired his father's surname.

Many friends of mine whose children's birth certificates make no mention of their surnames cannot use their surnames for important documents such as IDs, passports and diplomas.

For example, a man named Alex Suratman Widjatmoko has a son called Thomas Ravi Widjatmoko. The surname Widjatmoko is not noted on the son's birth certificate; we see only Thomas Ravi. Consequently, other important documents bear the name Thomas Ravi only.

A birth certificate is always the first point of reference for other documents, or the basis for personal identification. I strongly believe in the importance of the presence of surnames on birth certificates and feel that the regulation prohibiting this is unwarranted. A surname allows the registry office, and other agencies, to file and to access population data.

Therefore, in more developed countries and in some parts of Indonesia, surnames are considered more important than given names. In my opinion, it is time to revoke the prohibition in line with the spirit of reform.

I would like to read an explanation from the related ministry about the reasons why surnames cannot be included on birth certificates. I would also like to know whether the regulation is valid Indonesia-wide.

BRATA

Jakarta