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"(This blog) is like a Marsha Sugana Life special on E! "The things you would never suspect buried under that ghetto exterior"" -Amelia
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    Religious Affiliation & National Identity

    When Hilary Clinton came to visit Indonesia two years ago, she mentioned, “If you want to see democracy, Islam, modernity, and women’s rights coexisting in one place, then come to Indonesia.  Because I believe this place is more about the future than many other places in the world”.

    While I agree with her statement, I believe there are several significant aspects of our government (in addition to Sila Pertama: ‘Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa’) that would  eternally prevent our nation from developing into a modern-secular democracy.  One of them is the format of our nation’s Identity Card or Kartu Tanda Penduduk (KTP).

    The format of the Indonesian ID Card is almost similar to those of other countries or even our own SIM/Kartu Pelajar.  But in addition to basic information such as the date of birth, full name, and gender, the government mandates each and every one of the KTP owners to identify themselves with one of the six established religions in Indonesia, which includes Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and recently Confucianism.

    UURI 23 2006 (Pasal 64)

    • (1) KTP mencantumkan gambar lambang Garuda Pancasila dan peta wilayah Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia, memuat keterangan tentang NIK, nama, tempat tanggal lahir, laki-laki atau perempuan,AGAMA, status perkawinan, golongan darah, alamat, pekerjaan, kewarganegaraan, pas foto, masa berlaku, tempat dan tanggal dikeluarkan KTP, tandatangan pemegang KTP, serta memuat nama dan nomor induk pegawai pejabat yang menandatanganinya.

    The question is: Why?  Why do Indonesians have to have their religions on their KTP?  Also, why are we only limited to identify ourselves with 1 of the 6 religions?

    Mandating citizens to identify themselves with one of the six religions undermines one’s individual rights. This law discriminates against those who do not affiliate themselves with one of the 6 established religions.  What if you’re an atheist? Or Jewish?  Yes, these people are extreme minorities, but they deserve some recognition, no?

    UURI 23 2006 (Pasal 64)

    • (2) Keterangan tentang agama sebagaimana dimaksud pada ayat (1) bagi Penduduk yang agamanya belum diakui sebagai agama berdasarkan ketentuan Peraturan Perundang- undangan atau bagi penghayat kepercayaan tidak diisi, tetapi tetap dilayani dan dicatat dalam database kependudukan.

    According to the amendment above, Indonesians who do not consider themselves to be affiliated with any of the six religions have the option to leave it ‘blank’ instead of stating their actual affiliations.  But leaving it blank while other people have their religions recognized is discriminatory.  It gives the implication that their beliefs do not deserve the same level of recognition.  This also leads to our citizens’ tendencies to have false affiliations just for the purpose of ‘abiding’ by the law.   I am sure you have met someone who would tell you their religion is “(insert whatever religion) KTP”, implying that they do not actually practice the religion, but have it on their KTP anyway because it’s mandatory.

    In addition, this mandate also promotes religious discrimination.  Employers who prefer employees with certain religious affiliations might be able to use the information presented in the ID cards for recruiting purposes.  The abuse of such information is also predominant in areas where ethnic conflicts exist. This is a societal problem that needs to be addressed with other measures, but it is definitely exacerbated by the ID card religious-idenfication mandate.

    Mandating citizens to have their religious affiliations on their ID Cards also maintains the distance of our current system with that of a secular democracy. This mandate shows that the government has some form of religious jurisdiction.  Having the data available is actually a necessity for the government due to legal purposes.  Certain laws (such as marriage laws) require Indonesian citizens to have religious identifications in order for the courts to make proper legal decisions.

    For example, certain agencies are responsible for specific religions:

    • Kantor Urusan Agama Kecamatan, selanjutnya disingkat KUAKec, adalah satuan kerja yang melaksanakan pencatatan nikah, talak, cerai, dan rujuk pada tingkat kecamatan bagi Penduduk yang beragama Islam.
    • Penerbitan Akta Perkawinan bagi Penduduk yang beragama Islam dilakukan oleh Departemen Agama.

    I am aware that religion is currently inseparable from the government and that government agencies such as Departemen Agama are crucial components to our nation’s political and social stability.  But if we are trying to develop into a more secular democracy and eventually reduce religious discrimination & influence in our policymaking, we need to develop legal measures that shift our current policies farther away from that of a theocracy.

    We could start by abolishing the mandate of religious identification on our KTPs.

    This is my personal opinion (an extreme social lefty) and I am open to other thoughts regarding the importance of having religious affiliations stated on KTPs.  The room is open for debate!