Home Affairs Minister Says Electronic ID Cards Ready for Printing in April
Jakarta. Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo has apologized to the public and given his assurances that the new electronic identification cards, or e-KTP, will be ready for printing by April, so that the project will continue despite an ongoing graft case.
"I apologize to the people who have yet to receive their e-KTPs," Tjahjo said in South Jakarta on Monday (27/03).
"Hopefully we will start printing in the first stage, at around seven million [e-KTPs] to secure the supply for those who have moved from their old addresses. Those who have yet to receive e-KTPs will have it soon," the minister added.
He confirmed that his ministry discussed the printing contract with the State Finance Development Controller (BPKP).
"We have signed the contract in March; we had brought it to the BPKP, and we had checked that the rupiah value for each identification card is in accordance with the current market price. I will take responsibility, hopefully we will begin the first phase of printing in April," he told local news outlet Kompas.com.
Tjahjo expressed hope that the estimated 4.5 million residents will receive their e-KTPs as soon as possible.
"This e-KTP will be our single [form of] identity, which will be used for marriages, [obtaining] bank loans, moving to new addresses, applying for passports, as well as all things related to the banking system, insurance and hospitals. The source will be from the citizenship number [in the e-KTP]," the minister added.
The e-KTP project, which was supposed to provide biometric ID cards for all Indonesians aged 17 years and older, has encountered a series of problems, including a late start, technical glitches and officials demanding payments from residents to provide the ostensibly free service.
The state had suffered Rp 6.7 trillion ($501 million) in losses from the mothballed project in the 2011-2012 budgeting period.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is currently investigating the e-KTP case, in which several prominent public figures have been implicated.
Two suspects have already been named – Sugiharto and Irman, both former information management heads at the Directorate General of Citizenship and Civil Records at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Watch Indonesia Highlights on the Jakarta Globe News Channel and Facebook Live to find out more about the continuation of the e-KTP project.
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