Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Fadli Zon has expressed regret over the governments decision to halt the implementation of the electronic-Identity Cards (e-ID) project, on which funds amounting to Rp6-7 trillion have already been spent.

"I think the ongoing process should continue because the investment is quite huge. If I am not mistaken, the project amounts to some Rp6 to 7 trillion. So, it should be continued," Fadli Zon of the Great Indonesian Movement (Gerindra) Party stated here on Monday.

Indonesia requires a single identity number system to support the implementation of general elections and regional head elections, among other things, he noted.

"Social security number is crucial because it collects every piece of information about a citizen," he remarked.

Zon said he did not want to interfere in the technical matters related to the e-ID project, but he urged the Jokowi administration to tackle the associated problems, so that it could be fully completed.

Earlier, Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo announced that the e-ID project was halted indefinitely after suspicions arose about possible corruption in the project. The alleged corruption case was being handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission, he added.

He also pointed out that the e-ID computer server was allegedly located abroad, thereby making it vulnerable to illegal access by outsiders.

Besides this, the e-ID vendors did not apply an open system, which made it impossible for the home affairs minister to change the system.

In the meantime, the Indonesian police are coordinating with the home affairs ministry regarding the investigation into fake e-IDs.

"We are coordinating about it with the home affairs ministry," police spokesman Inspector General Ronny F. Sompie remarked here on Monday.

The coordination is necessary to collect preliminary data about the fake e-IDs allegedly made overseas.

"The Polices Security Intelligence Agency is trying to collect initial data on the information (about the fake IDs) to see whether Bareskrim (the Polices Crime Investigation Department) could follow up with the investigation," he emphasized.

He could not confirm whether the perpetrators were Indonesian nationals who lived overseas or foreigners.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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