Susi, Hariyanto not Indonesians?

Susi, Hariyanto not Indonesians?

JAKARTA (JP): Bureaucracy in Indonesia has long been dubbed a
span of tangled threads which may upset everybody, including
world badminton stars Susi Susanti and Hariyanto Arbi.

Susi and world champion Hariyanto have given Indonesia pride
without knowing that they are not citizens of the country they
defend.

"I could not have realized this if my father did not inform me
that I haven't received my citizenship," Susi told Jayakarta
during her preparations for the Malaysia Open on Tuesday. "I
can't believe it."

Indonesian shuttlers, the majority of whom are Chinese
descendants, often fall victim to the subtle immigration laws.
Former number one women's singles Ivana Lie was the last casualty
in 1980s.

Susi said her father, Risad Haditono, applied for Indonesian
citizenship four years ago at the Bandung district court. But
complications set in due to Susi's incorrect clan name.

According to the law, Susi should follow her father's clan,
Ong, but Risad wrote it as Lim, the clan name of his wife. "My
parents married under traditional law in which a husband uses his
wife's clan name," Susi said.

She added that the Bandung court had corrected the error and
sent the application to Jakarta. "I don't know where it missed,"
Susi said.

Susi, a native of Tasikmalaya, has been joining the long-term
centralized training stint with the Badminton Association of
Indonesia since 1980.

Hariyanto has been waiting for three years to hear good news
about his citizenship application. Other national players who
have not received Indonesian citizenship are Yuliani Sentosa and
Yuni Kartika.

Commenting on the bureaucratic problems, the badminton
association's Secretary-General RAJ Gosal said he would list all
national team members who have yet to become Indonesian citizens.
"We will help them as fast as possible," he said. (amd)