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Citizen journalism: New banknote marks Independence Day
In commemoration of Independence Day at my office, jubilant faces were lined on the field to witness a flag-raising ceremony led by Agus Martowardojo, the governor of Bank Indonesia (BI)
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n commemoration of Independence Day at my office, jubilant faces were lined on the field to witness a flag-raising ceremony led by Agus Martowardojo, the governor of Bank Indonesia (BI). In his speech, the BI governor disclosed that this Independence Day coincided with the issuance of the redesigned Rp 100,000 (US$8.56)banknote.
The newly redesigned banknote is the first bill in compliance with the 2011 Currency Law, which seeks to promote the use of the rupiah in domestic transactions.
The law grants the finance minister the right to sign banknotes together with BI.
This redesigned banknote with the joint signature was due to be printed and begin circulation on Sunday. The law will give the government a stronger legal base for managing the rupiah in the future.
However, the new banknote will not be replacing the one currently in circulation just yet. As printing capacity is limited, the amount of new banknotes printed is still small.
As the governor left the field, to head to the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Presidential Palace, we were dismissed. Many took selfies to upload onto social media while others rushed to the parking lot to avoid traffic congestion around the building.
Some others went straight to the cashier counters at the C Building complex to get the new Rp. 100,000 bill. I followed the latter, curious to see the atmosphere in the bill exchange room. Yes, we had the opportunity to collect the bills.
To my surprise, the line wasn't so bad. Only tens of BI staffers were in line, waiting expectantly to get the new bill. All were served in a timely manner.
Many took pictures of the new bill, waving the money around with beaming faces. I just smiled seeing the action.
The new banknotes have 'Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia' (Republic of Indonesia) written on them, replacing the name of the current issuer, Bank Indonesia.
They still have the same denominations as the current notes, still have pictures of national figures, and are claimed to be harder to counterfeit.
They also have the images of Indonesia's first president and vice president, Sukarno and Hatta, on the face side.
Another new design also eliminates BI's deputy governor's signature; replaced by the signature of the finance minister, while the signature of BI's governor remains.
Yuni Herlina
Depok, West Java
