Also incorrect - Two people from my batch failed because they couldn't manage the required tasks.
No, it's not incorrect Mas Fred. It's just you who didn't read properly the post and don''t understand you have been coerced in following a procedure which normally shouldn't have concerned you since you are married with a WNI.
I repeat, "legally speaking, if you are married with an Indonesian and if you are
eligible there is next to no room for your application to be rejected". Being eligible is a word of your native language Mas Fred and should be able to decipher it considering it is not a technically difficult one to grasp. Anyway, in case you are not familiar with this word, it means satisfying the appropriate conditions.
To be eligible you need to fit the legal requirements meaning, for those married with a WNI, being
sehat jasmani dan rohani, having stayed 5 full years or 10 years putus2, paying the regular fee, submitting the requested documents, not having a criminal record and that's pretty much it.. These conditions are stated by law (UU 12/2006) and are lighter for those with an Indonesian spouse than for the foreigners with no marrital connection with a WNI. In fact, if the Law would be enforced, those of us married to an Indonesian citizen should not even have to go through much administrative stuff.
So if your two people from your batch failed it (assuming they have a WNI spouse), it is because they were not eligible, Mas Fred. It isn't surprising if, as per your word, "they couldn't manage the required tasks". If they really couldn't, I even wonder what the heck they were doing there? Perhaps you were put in a special batch for
peculiar people, which would explain all the troubles you seem to have gone through despite being married with a WNI?
Anywa, and that it is a personal appreciation, we are talking about becoming a citizen of a country, not going to a picnic. Would you apply for a UK citizenship without knowing a single word of English, a bit of history and culture, or having half of the documents required? No, definitely not. For Indonesia it''s the same. Even though it isn't a requirement for those married with a WNI, it isn't too much to do the effort of learning a bit of the linguo.
If you want to become a citizen, you have to be eligible and the eligibility conditions are known by all and listed by law (no State secret.

).
The SKIM is a matter of pass or fail, and 21 years under your belt will all but guarantee a problem free ride..
Please, stop uttering inanities.
The SKIM is issued to applicants having resided 5 full years or 10 interrupted years and who have all documents/respect regulations.
Regulations concerning SKIM are available online (look for PermenKumHam nomor M.HH.01.GR.01.14 Tahun 2010 tentang tata cara permohonan SKIM for example) and NONE say that a SKIM may be refused to you for subjective reasons or because officers doesn't like you.
Indonesia is governed by Law, and if you know your rights and are daring enough to get them respected you won't have anyone threatening you to deny you a SKIM for made up reasons.
The interviews purpose is to make sure you comply with law and the purpose of issuance of your ITAS/ITAP over the years of your stay, which is one of the legal mission of Imigrasi.