Rendi Witular and Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post,
More than 100 Papuan students, who have been awarded full scholarships to study at top universities on Java, have discovered their places are at risk as the Papua administration claims it has no money to fund their travel costs.
The limited funding claim is distinctly questionable as recently elected Papua Governor Lukas Enembe and dozens of regents and officials are slated to fly to Hawaii in the US this week, at the taxpayers’ expense.
The students comprise a second batch of 208 students who received scholarships from the central government this year. The provincial administration had agreed to cover their travel expenses from Papua to their respective universities.
"More than half of the students risk losing their scholarships because the administration claims it has no money to cover their airfares," Ichwanudin Mawardi, the planning deputy of the Unit for the Acceleration of Development in Papua and West Papua (UP4B), said on Wednesday.
"Ironically, the administration has more than enough funds to go to Hawaii," he said.
A flight ticket from the provincial capital Jayapura to Jakarta costs at least Rp 3.5 million (US$350), which is equal to one day’s pocket money that will be allocated to each official traveling to Hawaii.
Ichwanuddin said that if the students failed to arrive in Jakarta and enroll by Sept. 20, the universities would cancel their places, which would effectively terminate their scholarships.
Neither Lukas nor the Papua administration spokesman could be reached for comment. A staffer at the Papua administration said the governor was currently returning to Papua following a visit to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, where he attended a gathering hosted by the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI).
According to sources at the administration, the trip to Hawaii was aimed at forging a deal between Cenderawasih Univesity in Jayapura with the University of Hawaii.
Resource-rich Papua is Indonesia's most eastern and least developed province, which has long been plagued by pervasive corruption and a separatist movement.
Comments:
FMN:
Some tax-exempted monies from PT Freeport Indonesia and the likes, can help these students reach their Universities
DuncanTan:
thats the ticket excuse RI of its responsibilities
BlackBro:
Why blaming these " puppets on a string", they just behave like their corrupt masters in Jakarta!
Mounte_Cristo:
: if they e.g., corrupt master in Jkt ask them to jump from the Clift, should they obey and jump from the Clift too?
Mounte_Cristo:
yeaa..that what you should do, no need smart young generation instead they have to just to obey what old generations instructions and follow their mind set
Henry Manoe:
Representatives of the people who do not have their interest at heart!
inyongwongtoowong:
Typical.
balistars:
Papua Governor Lukas Enembe and dozens of regents and officials are slated to fly to Hawaii in the US this week, at the taxpayers’ expense.
Does it never end? Do they have no shame?