Mixed marriages: Law hurts happiness

Sunday, September 25, 2005
Hera Diani and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Marrying foreigners may mean more love and happiness for many, financial security for others, in addition to the prospect of having beautiful children of mixed blood who someday may become models or actors.
The reality is, while happiness and love exist in many long-lasting mixed marriages, security is lost the moment an Indonesian woman marries a man of another nationality.
Based on Law No. 62/1958 on citizenship, an Indonesian woman cannot act as a sponsor for the visas of her expatriate husband and their children, and thus if the husband cannot work here, he cannot stay either, thus preventing the family from living a normal life.
An Indonesian wife cannot claim her children if a divorce takes place as children of a mixed marriage automatically adopt the father's citizenship.
Sukaedah Kumaidi Better, 34, said that she lives in constant fear that she is going to lose her children or her French husband over the citizenship issue.
"Nobody wants a divorce. But even without divorce, my husband has to leave once his contract is over... my children have to leave once they are 18 years old," she said.
For the past eight years, Sukaedah's family has had to go back and forth to Singapore to renew her husband's and children's visa, which she said is time consuming and costly.
"I am not asking for citizenship for my husband, but at least the government could cut us some slack so that he and my children do not have to renew their visa every few months."
Dewi Tjakrawinata, an executive of an alliance that groups about 4,000 couples in mixed marriages here, said that the citizenship law basically denies mixed couples and their children the opportunity to live as a "complete family".
Married to a French man, she said she could not sponsor his husband to stay even though she has a career and her own money.
"To keep their children from becoming expatriates, many Indonesian women don't even bother to register their marriages. The children's birth certificate then says that they were born out of wedlock, and thus they automatically gain their mother's citizenship," said Dewi.
However, it then creates another problem as the child is stigmatized for being born out of wedlock.
A wife of an expatriate cannot bequeath her wealth to her children either if she dies, while the children only have a year to sell the property of the mother.
An expatriate woman, repeating an immigration officer, said that the government would hunt down the children of expatriate fathers and expel them once they were 18; barely an adult.
Dewi said that the state tends to blame people for marrying expatriates.
"This is an era of globalization where encounters between citizens of different countries are inevitable," she said.
"The expatriates and their children should be seen as a state asset."
There is no record of the number of mixed marriages in the country. In Jakarta alone, however, there are at least 300 new mixed marriages registered annually -- not to mention those who do not register their marriages.
Problems also occur in small towns or border towns, where many women undergo contractual marriages. As most of them are less educated, many do not know about the law. But once the marriage contract is over, their children face deportation, while many of the fathers refuse to recognize them.
Even in other countries that do not recognize dual citizenship, there are special regulations for children of mixed couples.
She underlined that dual citizenship did not mean a person's nationalism faded.
"I could just adopt French citizenship, like my husband's, but I don't want to simply because I refuse to let go -- even if it's just administrative -- of my Indonesian roots. And I want my children to be the same way," she said.
Another story that has been told is that some Indonesian women were left penniless when their foreign husband died suddenly.
Still, the women were expected to get visas in Singapore for their children and send them to an international school, which is very expensive, during the lengthy process to make their children Indonesian citizens.
News that the House of Representatives is currently reviewing the law has given new hope for mixed marriages, but a women's rights activist and legislator from the National Awakening Party (PKB), Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, has expressed concern that deliberation of the revision would not be completed "in just one day".
"Well, actually, the legislators' plan to review the bill has been in process for years, but the goodwill to really correct the bill has just come to their minds in the past year.
"Aimed at encouraging my fellow legislators to revise the Law, I shared ideas about problems which have been raised due to this discriminative and gender-biased law in June of this year. My fellow legislators agreed to speed up the deliberation of the draft revision, but I wonder why the bill is not among 55 pieces of legislation that should be finalized by this year," Nursyahbani told the Post.
Maggie Agusta, 56, said that the government was not even transparent about the law, as she would have gotten the citizenship if she had known about it.
"The law is fairly clear; there is lack of transparency."
Now, even after living here for over two decades, she has encountered trouble in getting Indonesian citizenship, as there was a period when she had to go back to the United States due to health problems.
"You have expatriate women and men.. many are very educated and have expertise. They may be better off in their own country. But we have commitment and expertise and are willing to contribute.
"I'm nearly 60 years old, I had grown up a lot in Indonesia. It changed me profoundly. I don't fit anywhere else in the world. This is my home," Agusta said.

Labels: legal, social affairs

Posted by hera at 12:44 AM | Permalinks | Comments

Music piracy gets more notorious and gets going

Sunday, October 27, 2002

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A fellow reporter had a bad experience when purchasing a tape in a record outlet. A couple of months ago, he went to a big, well-known store to buy the original soundtrack to the movie I am Sam.

"But when I got home and played the tape, I was shocked. The songs were not in the right order as it began from the middle. I was so furious! I bought it for the same price as the original. The store also refused to give my money back," he said.

Piracy is not a new thing for the record industry in this country. You can find pirated CDs and tapes virtually everywhere. They can even be found in Senayan sports complex, which is just a few hundred meters from the Jakarta Police Headquarters on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, South Jakarta.

But recently, piracy has reached a whole new level, with counterfeit products (aspal) finding their way onto record store shelves amid a rampant increase in availability.

Unlike pirated products of the past which were clearly distinguished -- bad quality cover and all -- the counterfeit items of today ones look identical to the original. They even have tax stickers on them.

However, if you look closer, you can find small flaws, as happened to singer Tere a while ago.

During an autograph session a fan gave Tere a cover of her debut album Awal Yang Indah (A Beautiful Start) for her to sign.

"But the cover looked weird as the picture was unclear. The paper was also different. When I asked the fan, she said she bought it in a record store," said Tere, 23.

Tere then asked her producer to contact police who then raided a retail store in Kuningan, South Jakarta, last month. The raids led to further busts in Disc Tarra record stores and at several factories in Jakarta last month.

The counterfeit products found at Disc Tarra were from local artists. Beside Tere's, there were the soundtracks to local movies Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? (What's Up With Cinta?), Ari Lasso's Sendiri Dulu (Alone For Now) and Dewa's Cintailah Cinta (Loving Love).

Police have arrested several suspects. The case is still under investigation.

Disc Tarra CEO Wirawan Hartono has said the company was only a distributor which bought the products from official agents appointed by the producers.

"We've been working with them for years. Their products are always accompanied with documents certifying the originality."

However, there has been an allegation that Disc Tarra is involved in the production of counterfeit products.

Wirawan denied the allegations, reiterating the company was only a retailer.

While the situation was highlighted last month, the distribution of counterfeit tapes or CDs has been around for much longer.

Sony Music Indonesia managing director Sutanto Hartono said some of the record company's products were pirated last year.

"Agents can return the albums from local artists to us if they are not already sold. Last year, we found some were counterfeit. But when we traced it back to the agent, we couldn't find anything," Sutanto said.

He suspected the producers of counterfeit products were those who have been or are still involved in the music industry.

"The album cover is very difficult to fake. But now technology is getting more sophisticated, with scanning machines and all," he said, adding the business of piracy had become particularly competitive.

These high-quality pirates have increased sales of counterfeit products in this country.

From 1995 to 1996, the rate of piracy was only 12 percent. The local music industry peaked in that period, with nine to 10 million cassettes produced every month.

But ever since the prolonged economic crisis first hit in 1997, the rate has soared higher.

Data from the Anti Piracy Communication Forum (FOKAP) shows that piracy is currently 650 percent larger than the legal sales of three million copies each month.

The number is well up on the 558 percent figure last year.

Piracy causes estimated financial losses of Rp 11 trillion (US$1.196 billion) annually.

Sutanto said piracy had made it difficult for record companies to sell albums from new artists.

"We used to be able to sell up to 30,000 albums from new artists. But now selling 10,000 copies is considered good. I'm afraid things will get as bad as in Malaysia where piracy is awful. The producers there now prefer to release compilation albums or rerelease old artists rather than new artists."

The worsening situation has spurred FOKAP to increase its campaign to combat piracy. Comprising representatives from the music industry, FOKAP was formed last April with the aim to bolster failed efforts already undertaken by several organizations, including Asiri (Indonesian Recording Industry Association).

FOKAP's head Arnell Affandi said the forum had already set a timetable in its battle against piracy.

"We've met legislators, police ... We've even sent a letter to President Megawati (Soekarnoputri) but so far there hasn't been any reply. Soon we'll launch a campaign on TV and radio, and we'll also reach the provinces" Arnell said recently.

The forum's plan to hold a special event called Satu Hari Tanpa Musik (A Day Without Music), scheduled Oct. 28, was called off due to the Bali tragedy.

"Piracy is getting worse and it could spell the end of the music industry in our country. As law enforcement is really weak we really need the President to issue a presidential decree," Arnell said.

National Police Deputy Spokesman Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang said the piracy was indeed very disturbing and it has always been in the police agenda to combat it.

"We've seized millions of VCDs and CDs, we've also arrested so many people allegedly involved. Piracy is indeed a loss for the country. We'll continue to work with Asiri and other organizations," he said over a phone interview.

So far, however, police effort has yet to show any result in decreasing piracy. The parties responsible for piracy also remained unclear.

Arnell said that since news covering about piracy sparked lately, the pirate has been really careful.

He added that FOKAP recently met the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue a fatwa (religious statement) that pirated products were haram (forbidden) for Muslims.

"We hope that since the majority of Indonesians are Muslims, the people will listen. MUI really welcome our suggestion also," Arnell said.

The idea to go to MUI maybe a headscratcher, but desperate hours call for desperate measures especially since all other efforts have failed.

We may not think too much when we purchase pirated products, but when we buy them, we have infringed on the rights of artists and songwriters, and hampered their ability to create the sounds we love to hear.

Labels: legal, music

Posted by hera at 12:50 AM | Permalinks | Comments

'Stateless' Chinese dream of basic rights

Sunday, October 06, 2002

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Residents of Kampung Pulo in Citeureup, Bogor, and Tegal Alur in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, are not immune from the mass hysteria over Taiwan's TV series Meteor Garden.

Some children and teenagers can be seen walking around wearing T-shirts sporting the picture of the four stars from the series. On the walls of their rooms, or even in their living rooms, are large posters of F4, Meteor Garden's stars, who are also Taiwan's top boy band.

In a corner of the neighborhood, several housewives are caught up in a discussion over the plot of Meteor Garden and other soaps starring the boy band, which are all aired by the local TV stations.

As Asian TV dramas -- not only those from Taiwan but also from South Korea -- begin to flood the country, evidence of the new frenzy can also be spotted in Tegal Alur and Kampung Pulo, particularly as both places have a lot of residents of Chinese descent.

However, the glamor life of the rich kids portrayed in the series does not even come close to the residents of either subdistrict, whose population of Chinese-Indonesians reaches 550 respectively.

Living in small houses, they are far off from the stereotype that Chinese-Indonesians are well-off, as most residents earn below or slightly above the regional monthly minimum wage (UMR). Most work at nearby factories.

Being categorized in the lower income bracket of the economy, however, is not their only problem.

As with many Chinese-Indonesians, they also face discrimination. Worse still, because of their roots, they have difficulty in obtaining legal documents, such as their citizenship certificate and identification card, which makes them practically "stateless".

Their history is a bit complicated as it goes back as far as 1958, when the People's Republic of China claimed that every Chinese person in the world was a Chinese citizen.

The Indonesian government gave those of Chinese descent the option of choosing their citizenship. Unfortunately, not all of them were well informed about it. Chinese ships, which were supposed to carry back those who opted for Chinese citizenship, came only once, leaving many others without citizenship.

The situation became worse with the tense relationship between China and Indonesia around 1965.

Afterwards, the government issued many regulations related to citizenship, which discriminated against the Chinese.

It resulted in creating difficulties for those of Chinese descent who wanted to obtain legal documents.

For the wealthy Chinese, the problems could be overcome by bribing the officials, but not for those with a lower income, such as the residents of Tegal Alur and Kampung Pulo.

To start with, although they were born in this country and have been here for several generations, many do not have birth certificates.

"We also have difficulty in obtaining ID cards. Without an ID card, we can't get married. That's why many of us don't have marriage certificates, because we just throw small parties for our families and relatives. That's it. It's not legalized or anything, but it's common here," Tjan E. Lie of Tegal Alur said lightly.

As a consequence, many children in both places are not recognized by the state. The children have birth certificates, but there is a note saying that he or she is "anak luar nikah" or a child born out of wedlock, and they are their mothers' children.

"My children understand that they are registered as children born out of wedlock. But what can we do? It's because I don't have an ID card or a marriage certificate," Tjan said.

She said it was possible to obtain an ID card if they paid about Rp 25,000. But they would still have to enclose their Republic of Indonesia Citizenship Certificate (SBKRI).

A citizenship certificate is needed to process many other documents, including passports, business licenses, credit applications and even university applications.

The process is endless as the citizenship certificate is also difficult to obtain.

Top Indonesian shuttler Hendrawan, for example, only got his earlier this year after President Megawati Soekarnoputri stepped in to help.

Data shows there are no less than 12 bureaucratic institutions involved in the process of issuing a citizenship certificate before it can be signed by the president.

The institutions are the community unit (RT), the neighborhood unit (RW), the subdistrict office, the district office, the mayoralty office, the gubernatorial office, the police subprecinct, the police station, the city police headquarters, the prosecutor's office, the district court and finally the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

With all the bureaucracy, Tjan and her husband Tju Lu Lian and many of their neighbors simply gave up in the end.

"We are worried that we will get arrested if we are caught in a police raid for ID cards," Tju said.

Another problem arises when they want to get a divorce as their marriage is not even recognized.

In Kampung Pulo, meanwhile, things are a bit more complex as the majority of people are believers of Khonghucu. So far, the state does not recognize Khonghucu as one of the five existing religions officially listed here: Islam, Catholicism, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Therefore, marriages between believers of Khonghucu are considered illegal, and thus, couples of this faith will not receive marriage certificates unless they convert to one of the religions recognized by the government.

"Many of us have refused to do so because that means we're being a hypocrite," said Tan Im Yang, 55, a prominent figure in Kampung Pulo.

Just like the children in Tegal Alur, many children in Kampung Pulo are then declared as being born out of wedlock.

"I don't understand. We've been here for many generations and you can see that we don't even look so Chinese anymore. Yet, we cannot have simple basic civil rights like owning ID cards. And then they don't recognize our religion.

"It's ridiculous. They (the state) give us the freedom to conduct our religion, but they don't recognize it as being legal," Tan said.

Tan's daughter, Lois Taneri, 17, said she was often ridiculed at school.

"My friends mocked me, asking 'Is there such thing as the Khonghucu religion?' At school, I have to take a Catholicism class. The school administration also stated on my student card that I'm a Buddhist. I then erased it and changed it myself," said Lois, who has just graduated from the nearby Budi Mulya senior high school.

Lois does not really pay any attention to what her peers say, especially since she has graduated, although many other young believers of Khonghucu do.

Tan Im Yang said that many young people were embarrassed about their religion.

"I'm afraid that this will lead to a decline in the number of believers, which has already happened. I don't see why our religion is not considered to be a valid one. We believe in one God, we don't believe in superstition. It's a very realistic religion, so I don't see any reason why I should convert," he said.

In 1971, he said, the Khonghucu congress was recognized by then president Soeharto, who turned up for the event.

"I asked the government officials about it. They can't argue but they don't seem to be doing anything about it either," Tan said.

As for Tjan and Tju, they still do not have ID cards even though they have converted to Christianity.

Tju said that his neighbor, a fellow Chinese, got a card very easily just because they pretended to be Muslim.

"Local officials processed the proposal very quickly and they never got any hassles for doing that even though they are very much Buddhists until today," he said.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as Solidaritas Nusa Bangsa (SNB), have been working hard on this matter, but to no avail.

"People in Tegal Alur don't have rights, but when it comes to the general election, for example, their votes are used by political parties," said Candra M. from SNB.

A team at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights is actually working on another draft of the Citizenship Law.

An official from the team, who asked not to be named, said there would be no more discrimination in the drafted law.

"With the law, we don't have to state our religion or our descent on an ID card or other legal document," he said.

He said, however, that discrimination still prevailed, especially at the lower government level.

"Honestly, if I needed an ID card quickly, I would also resort to nembak (bribing an official). It's not a matter of the law, but the matter of knowing the law," he added.

In that case, it may seem that the people of Tegal Alur and Kampung Pulo need to wait longer until they can have their rights, the most basic rights that they are entitled to.

Recent history of Chinese-Indonesians

* 1955: Indonesia and China sign an agreement on dual citizenship, which allows Chinese people living in the country to hold both Indonesian and Chinese citizenship.

* 1958: Indonesia approves the citizenship law, which stipulates naturalization.

* 1959: Indonesia and China agree to a repatriation process for 140,000 ethnic Chinese.

* 1965: An aborted coup, blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party, takes place. Jakarta accuses China of involvement, which China denies.

* 1967: Diplomatic ties with China are frozen, bring an abrupt halt to repatriations. About 100,000 people become stranded here and are deemed stateless.

* 1969: Indonesia decides not to honor the dual citizenship agreement. A Chinese person whose parents hold China citizenship can only obtain Indonesia citizenship through naturalization, which can only be proven proved by the issuance of an SBKRI.

* 1990: Indonesia resumes ties with China.

* 1992: Beijing says it will issue passports in January 1993 for stateless Chinese here, whose number now reaches more than 240,000.

* 1996: Soeharto issues a decree on the annulment of the SBKRI requirement. Chinese-Indonesians may instead use their ID cards, birth certificates and kartu keluarga (family cards) for education and business purposes.

* 1998: Habibie issues a decree ordering government officials to treat all Indonesians the same.

* 1999: Habibie issues a decree banning discrimination against Indonesians based on origin.

Labels: legal, social affairs

Posted by hera at 12:51 AM | Permalinks | Comments

Marrying 'out': A leap of faith

Sunday, December 23, 2001
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After six years in an on-again, off-again relationship, Fransiska, 25, and Reza, 26, are finally determined to tie the knot.
It's been a difficult decision. They have dealt not only with the usual couples' issues, but also their difference in religion.
Fransiska, who is Catholic, and Reza, a Muslim, have decided that they will adhere to their respective religions.
"I just can't abandon what I've been taught and believed in the past 25 years. Neither can he," said Fransiska, or Siska, a graphic designer.
Even to take that step of finding a middle ground -- such as Siska agreeing their children will be raised as Muslims -- is fraught with guilt and the possibility of rejection from their families and communities.
Their families at first opposed their relationship, but they finally gave permission for them to wed, as long as Siska and Reza did not convert.
But they find themselves in legal limbo when it comes to marrying.
Under Law No. 1/1974 on matrimony, a marriage is only legal when it is conducted according to one faith or religion.
"If we get married at the religious affairs office (for Muslim unions), I have to state that I convert to Islam. That means pretending, and it's like playing games. I don't want to do that," Siska said.
Marrying out of one's religion is one of the most sensitive issues in Indonesian society and a nightmare for most families, with the assumption by others that parents did not bring up their children "properly". Most young people rule out dating someone of another religion because of the potential social and legal pitfalls if they do fall in love and want to marry.
Still, many interfaith couples have set up home together, including such famous unions as actress Lydia Kandou and singer Jamal Mirdad.
The good news for them is that a consortium of representatives -- from the government, non-governmental organizations and UNICEF -- is working on a new bill to legalize interfaith marriages while maintaining a couple's respective religions.
However, the draft of the bill is not expected for another year. Even then, attitudes will be hard to change.
Many couples deal with the legal restriction by getting married under one religion, but then continue to practice their own religions in the marriage.
"Iwan," a Muslim, and "Rachel", a Catholic, were married in a church more than 10 years ago.
"We're still happily married and still maintain our religions," Iwan said, adding that in Islam, it is OK for men to marry non-Muslim women, although it is not vice versa.
"Both my children are Catholic, but I don't mind that. You know, it's just not productive to argue about religious differences."
Others choose to go to other countries to marry, with the most popular destination being Singapore. Data shows some 5,000 Indonesian couples waiting to marry at the registry office on the island-state.
Ariani, who is a Muslim, counts herself lucky that she married John, 53, a Christian from North Sulawesi, in 1976 when the law was not strictly imposed.
Now, with three children, they are still happily married and maintain their respective religions.
"I still pray, fast and do dzikir (chanting praise to God) because I always think those are the most wonderful things. That goes for my husband, too," said Ariani, 48, an area representative of a multinational company.
"In our house, we celebrate both Idul Fitri (the post-fasting month celebration) and Christmas. Most of the time, I even do the tree decorating," she added.
When they married, Ariani and John faced resistance from their families, with each demanding their child's spouse convert.
"I come from a Sundanese family who is fanatic about religion. I, however, am more liberal. I thought as long as my future husband loves me, is responsible and has a high sense of humanity ... that's all that matters," Ariani said.
Her family also told her that she would be "committing adultery" as Islam forbids a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim.
"I thought that it's actually God's intention that I met my husband and married him. I feel that it's just not possible that we're going to be damned by Him," she asserted.
They decided at the outset of their relationship that they would not make differences in religion an issue.
They have also committed that neither of them will try to persuade their children but instead leave them free them to choose the religion that is most suitable for them. The couple's first two children are Muslims while the youngest is Christian.
Religious ties, however, are hard to break. When pressed, Ariani admitted that deep down both her and her husband hoped their spouse would convert.
"But forcing it will do no good. Besides, we're growing older. Let's just be realistic," she said.
Ariani is saddened by the stories of marriages crumbling under family pressure, and of parents disowning their children.
She also knows that no legislation can change attitudes.
"It's such a pity because religion is one's personal right. Everyone has their freedom, it's their personal relationship with God," she said.

Labels: legal, social affairs

Posted by hera at 3:20 AM | Permalinks | Comments

Touts ease the hassle of getting passports

Saturday, April 21, 2001
By Hera Diani

JAKARTA (JP): Obtaining a document such as a passport in this country can be a major headache.
Long drawn-out bureaucratic procedures, irritating officers and pushy touts are among obstacles that have to be faced throughout the process.
No wonder people prefer to go to a service bureau or pay middlemen to get their passports done fast, even though it may cost them more than double.
Take Hery (not his real name), for example, who works at a TV production house.
The 26-year-old man was assigned by his office to go to Europe and was going to make a passport. But little did he know that it would cost him almost Rp 1 million to get it.
"I went to Tangerang immigration office. There, a man with an immigration office badge offered me help," he told The Jakarta Post recently.
The man asked for Rp 600,000 (US$54.5) to get him his passport, Hery said.
The official fee is Rp 110,000 for a 24-page passport and Rp 260,000 for a 48-page passport to be completed in a week.
"I didn't have much time so I said yes as long as the passport can be processed in one day," Hery said.
But then the man asked for another Rp 200,000 because Hery's identity card is less than a month old.
"He said that many people obtain ID cards in Tangerang to make things easier though they actually live in Jakarta," Hery said.
"The next day, I met a lady who only paid Rp 500,000 with the assistance of an 'insider'," he said.
Scalpers can easily be found at every immigration office, except the Central Jakarta office. Just walk inside and someone will approach and offer their services.
Someone like Marzuki (not his real name), a scalper at the crowded North Jakarta immigration office, located near Tanjung Priok port.
Marzuki admitted to being a middleman for 10 years now.
"There are many touts here. Most of them are unemployed sailors. As for me, I also work at a travel agency," said the man, who is in his 40s.
He charged between Rp 300,000 ($27.3) to Rp 600,000 per passport ($54.6), depending on the number of passport pages, either 24 or 48, and how long it can be completed.
"The faster you want to get it done, the more money you have to pay. But it's negotiable," he said.
"If all your documents are in order, let's go to my car outside and arrange everything. It's now 2 p.m., your passport will be ready by 10 a.m. tomorrow," he said.
If you are wary of touts you might as well go to a service bureau to arrange your passport.
They charge you somewhere between Rp 400,000 to Rp 750,000 depending on the type of passport and how quickly you need it.
The offices also provide a service where they will pick up the documents from your house and deliver your passport. All you need to do is just go to the immigration office to get your photograph taken.
However, for Indonesians of Chinese descent, they need to include their citizenship papers and pay an additional cost of Rp 100,000 to Rp 150,000 for the screening process.
Spokesman for the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights' Directorate General of Immigration, Mursanudin Ghani said that some of the service bureaus are indeed legalized.
"The bureaus are those who have been trained by the Ministry's Jakarta office. You recognize them from their badge," he told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Wednesday.
"It's a common thing in every country where people are busy and don't have time to arrange this kind of thing by themselves," he added.
About the price, Mursanuddin said, it is logical that the bureaus earn a profit from it.
"It's not that I'm justifying it, if there are complaints, please report them to us," he said.
Mursanuddin, however, admitted that it is difficult to combat scalpers.
"We can't take measures on them because that's the authority of the ministry's provincial office," he asserted.
Mursanuddin said that hopefully the whole process will be computerized so people could then just pay through a bank account.
"But it costs a lot of money. We actually received a soft loan of some $26 million from Spain, but the project was called off, I don't know why," he said.
About the discrimination over Chinese Indonesians, Mursanuddin was reluctant to provide a justification, saying that "there are some things that can not be disclosed".
"It's very easy to get a new birth certificate or an identity card. So we have to do the screening," he finally said, adding that the screening is officially free-of-charge.
However, concerning the hustle and bustle in obtaining passports, there are actually some people who do not mind going through the process all by themselves.
A woman at the North Jakarta immigration office was extending her passport without any assistance from middlemen and the process was swift.
"My friends said that immigration officers will make the process difficult if I don't give them money, so I gave them some. But they returned it to me," she said.
Ndari, 30, also refused to use either a tout or bureau, saying that her budget was limited.
"Besides that, I also want to know what it's like to arrange it by myself. And it turns out to be okay," she told the Post at the East Jakarta immigration office.
"Yes, I have to wait in line for three hours to get my photograph taken. But other than that, everything has gone smoothly and I got my passport on time," she added.

Labels: legal, urban

Posted by hera at 3:35 AM | Permalinks | Comments