Hera Diani, Jakarta – Activists urged lawmakers Thursday to revise the demography bill or change it into a civil registry law, as they believe the bill still maintains religious discrimination and interferes with civil administrative affairs.
The bill, which is being discussed by the House of Representatives' Commission II on political and domestic affairs, is well-intentioned in its aim to clean up the demographics administration that has been riddled by corruption and red tape.
Legislators said previously that the law would lead to the implementation of a single ID number to avoid bearing more than one identity.
The bill also is said to be an attempt to curb discrimination because the previous regulation adapted from the Dutch colonial era distinguished people based on their religious and ethnic group, indicated by the use of certain code numbers in their birth or marriage certificates.
However, the bill still obliges every citizen and every family to include their religion on their identity cards, as stipulated in Article 68. However, the state only recognizes five religions: Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hindu and Buddha.
"The state does not give legal protection for citizens of different religions (other than the five recognized), yet the 1945 Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion and beliefs," Sumamiharja from the Civil Administrative Consortium said in a discussion Thursday.
It has caused problems for believers of Confucianism, for example, because they cannot receive an ID card unless they pick one of the religions recognized by the state. If they do not, their marriage would be considered illegal, and their children deemed illegitimate. This would make it difficult for them to receive their inheritance later on.
Such cases are found among Confucianists in Tegal Alur, West Java, as well as what are known as "indigenous religion" believers throughout the country.
Another problem of the bill, according to the activists, is how it crosses the line into civil administrative affairs.
"If it aims to arrange the demographic administration, it should stop at registering the population. But it also regulates marriage, death and other civil affairs," said Lies Sugondho of the National Commission on Human Rights.
"There is no clear definition on population either, as it also administers (demographic issues of) Indonesian citizens living abroad. Yet Indonesian children born in other countries are not recognized as Indonesian."
Dual nationality, as stated by the new citizenship law passed in July and granted to children of transnational marriages until they reach the age of 21, also is not regulated in the bill.
Activists urged the government to separate the demographic administrative and civil administrative affairs, or instead implement a civil administrative law as imposed in any country in the world.
"We have never had a proper civil administrative law. Interfaith marriage, for instance, is prohibited. But rich couples get married abroad and then register their marriage here, and it's legal. What about couples who are not as wealthy?" said Ari Masyhuri from the consortium. "It will be even more confusing to have a law that mixes demographic administrative and civil administrative affairs."