President Jokowi: MK Ruling on Native Faith Followers Status is Final & Legally Binding
President Jokowi delivers introduction to Limited Cabinet Meeting on Managing Population Administration System after Constitutional Courts Ruling at the Presidential Office, Wednesday (4/4). (Photo by: Jay/Public Relation Division of Cabinet Secretariat)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo asserted that the decision made by the Constitutional Court (MK) regarding the status of native faith followers on electronic identity cards (e-KTP) and the family register (KK) is final and legally binding.
The Government is also obliged to implement the decision, the President added.
“For the technical implementation, I have ordered Ministry of Home Affairs to pay attention to the aspirations coming from various stakeholders of the existing religious organizations,” President Jokowi said during a Limited Cabinet Meeting on Managing Population Administration System after Constitutional Courts Ruling at the Presidential Office, Wednesday (4/4).
For the record, the Constitutional Court Panel of Justices has decided that status of native faith followers can be listed in the religion column on e-KTP and the KK without specifying the belief they belong to.
Justice Saldi Isra, a member of the panel, when reading the verdict at Constitutional Court Building last year said that to ensure an orderly population administration system, and considering that Indonesia has many and varied native faith followers, the religion column on e-KTP and KK for the people embracing those native faiths should now show that they are native faith followers, without specifying the belief.
President Jokowi further said that e-KTP and KK are very important for the people to have access to every public service, such as electricity installation, bank account registration, civil registration service, passport, and others. Therefore, the President said, the acceleration of e-KTP services is urgently needed to make sure that all citizens get quick and reliable service from the Government.
The President has also told Minister of Home Affairs to issue a Regulation of Minister of Home Affairs which sets the standardized deadline for e-KTP services. “I think once we have a Ministerial Regulation, e-KTP services will be more accessible,” the President said, adding that if need be, the Government will take a proactive approach, especially in regions where government services are not accessible yet.
President Jokowi also told his Cabinet to immediately realize a single identity system, supported by the data and information in an integrated administrative administration.
Data from the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Education shows that in 2016, there were about 1,200 native-faith groups with at least 12 million followers across Indonesia, home to worlds biggest Muslim population.
Also present during the meeting were Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, Minister of Communication and Informatics Rudiantara, Minister of Home Affairs Tjahjo Kumolo, Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna H. Laoly, Ministry of Defense Ryamizard Ryacudu, Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reforms Asman Abnur, Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Kapolri) General Tito Karnavian and Attorney General Agung Prasetyo. (MRA/FID/SM/JAY/OJI/ES) (RI/EP/Naster)
