TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The e-KTP (electronic identification card) project was a project initiated during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono government. Back then, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also known as SBY, appointed Gamawan Fauzi as the Interior Affairs Minister.

The purpose of the e-KTP project was to provide a single identity system to prevent the use of false identity in criminal cases, such as false identity used terrorist suspects, tax embezzlement perpetrator, and smuggler.

"The [e-KTP] was made to eliminate identification card forgery," Gamawan said to Tempo back in October 2011.

Compared to neighboring countries, Indonesia can be considered late in developing a single identity system. At the time, Malaysia had developed the MyKad identity system, a single card that can be used as an identification card, as a driver license, to store health record, cash withdrawal card, public facility payment card, and transit card. Meanwhile, Thailand had developed the e-ID, a card that serves as an identity card, health card, electronic border registry card, and payment card for various online services.

Ever since the implementing regulation for the e-KTP project was issued in 2007, the project had never achieved its intended target. As a result, President SBY must issue a different presidential regulation every year as a legal framework for the project.

December 29, 2006
Law No. 23 of 2006 on Civilian Administration was issued. Article 64 (3) of the Law “mandates the government, to provide space in the identification card to include security code and civil data electronic registration.”

June 28, 2007
President SBY signed Presidential Regulation No. 37 of 2997 on the Implementation of Law No. 23 of 2006 on Civil Administration. The Regulation stipulates provisions on the implementation of an online, semi-electronic, and manual civil registration information system.

June 19, 2009
President SBY issued Presidential Regulation No. 26 of 2009 on the National Implementation of Civil Registry Based Identification Card. The Regulation targeted the project to finish in 2011.

May 25, 2010
President SBY signed and issued Presidential Regulation No. 35 of 2010 on the Amendment of Presidential Regulation No. 26 of 2009. The target set for the completion of the identification card program was rescheduled to 2012.

September 27, 2011

President SBY issued Presidential Regulation No. 67 of 2011 on the Second Amendment of Presidential Regulation No. 26 of 2009, which states that the electronic identification card will be equipped with a chip containing electronic data record.

December 30, 2012
President SBY issued Presidential Regulation No. 126 of 2012 on the Third Amendment of Presidential Regulation No. 26 of 2009. The Regulation was issued following the government’s failure to achieve the e-KTP project deadline.

December 27, 2013
President SBY issued Presidential Regulation No. 112 of 2013 on the Fourth Amendment of Presidential Regulation No. 26 of 2009. The Regulation states that conventional identification card remains valid until December 31, 2014.

AGOENG WIJAYA l EVAN/PDAT l Various Sources