Wamendagri : Masalah Beasiswa Mahasiswa Papua Diambil Alih Pemerintah Pusat

JAYAPURA - Wakil Menteri Dalam Negeri (Wamendagri) John Wempi Wetipo memastikan permasalahan beasiswa mahasiswa Papua kini resmi diambil alih pemerintah pusat. 

Keputusan tersebut diambil setelah Wamendagri didampingi Plh Gubernur Papua dan perwakilan orang tua mahasiswa bertemu di Jayapura.

Pertemuan berlangsung di Aula Badan Pengembangan Sumber Daya Manusia (BPSDM) Papua, Selasa (4/7/2023), 

"Pertemuan hari ini merupakan solusi terakhir dari perjuangan orang tua mahasiswa. Dimana hasilnya Pemerintah pusat akan take over masalah ini, tinggal Pemerintah Provinsi Papua memberikan data sesuai yang diminta oleh Kementerian Keuangan," kata Wamendagri Wetipo, usai pertemuan tersebut.

Wamendagri menyampaikan, data mahasiswa sebanyak 3.171 orang tersebut harus segera diserahkan, sehingga pembayaran utang atau tunggakan beasiswa (Siswa Unggul Papua) tahun 2022 dapat dilakukan oleh kementerian keuangan.

"Kalau dari surat Kementerian Keuangan itu, salah satu alternatif penyelesaian pembayaran tunggakan beasiswa adalah melalui intercept pemotongan Dana Alokasi Umum (DAU). Tapi ada permintaan dari Plh Gubernur agar penyelesaian pembayaran melalui pemotongan dana Otsus. Mekanisme itu nanti akan disampaikan lagi ke Kementerian Keuangan," kata dia.

Kendati demikian yang terpenting, tambah Wamendagri, 18 item yang diminta oleh Kementerian keuangan tersebut harus segera disiapkan oleh Pemerintah Provinsi Papua.

Pada kesempatan itu, Wamendagri Wempi Wetipo mengimbau kepada orangtua mahasiswa agar tak khawatir sebab masalah tersebut sudah bisa teratasi.

"Tak perlu lagi sampaikan masalah ini ke Presiden, ini masalah kecil yang kita bisa selesaikan. Tugas saya dari Bapak Presiden dan Mendagri untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini dan kita sudah tuntas. Saya sangat yakin pekan dapan permasalahan beasiswa siswa unggul Papua selesai," jelas ia.

Plh Gubernur Papua Ridwan Rumasukun mengatakan, data yang diminta oleh Wamendagri dan Kementerian Keuangan akan segera disiapkan. “Hari Senin besok kita serahkan ke Mendagri dan Menteri Keuangan,” tegasnya.

Ridwan tambahkan, program beasiswa Otsus merupakan program dari mantan Gubernur Papua Barnabas Suebu yang ingin cetak 1000 Doktor, kemudian dilanjutkan oleh Gubernur Lukas Enembe dengan program Siswa Unggul Papua (SUP). Dimana hasilya telah "melahirkan" 3000 lebih anak-anak Papua dengan gelar sarjana dalam berbagai bidang. ***

JAYAPURA - Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, John Wempi Wetipo confirmed that the issue of Papuan student scholarships is now officially taken over by the Central Government.

The decision was taken after the Vice Minister of Home Affairs accompanied by the Acting Governor of Papua and representatives of student parents met in Jayapura.

The meeting took place at the Hall of the Human Resources Development Agency of Papua, Tuesday (4/7/2023),

"This meeting is the last solution to the struggle of students’ parents. The result is that the Central Government will take over this problem, the Papua Provincial Government will provide data as requested by the Ministry of Finance," the Vice Minister of Home Affairs Wetipo told the press, after the meeting.

The Vice Minister of Home Affairs said that the data on 3,171 students must be submitted immediately so that debt payments or arrears of scholarships (Papua Superior Students) in 2022 can be made by the Ministry of Finance.  

"According to the letter from the Ministry of Finance, one of the alternative ways to settle scholarship arrears is through intercept cuts in the General Allocation Fund. There is a request from the Acting Governor for the settlement of payments through cuts in special autonomy funds. The mechanism will be submitted again to the Ministry of Finance," he said.

However, the most important thing, added the Vice Minister of Home Affairs, the 18 items requested by the Ministry of Finance must be immediately prepared by the Government of Papua Tourism.

On that occasion, Vice Minister of Home Affairs Wempi Wetipo appealed to students not to worry because the problem had been resolved.   

“No need to tell this problem to the President anymore, this is a small problem that we can solve. It is my duty from the President and the Home Minister to solve this problem and we are done. I am very sure the problem of Papuan superior student scholarships will be over, ‘’ he explained. 

Papua Acting Governor Ridwan Rumasukun said the data requested by the Vice Minister of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Finance would be prepared soon. "On Monday, we will hand it over to the Home Minister and the Minister of Finance," he said.

Ridwan added that the special autonomy scholarship program was a program from the former Governor of Papua, Barnabas Suebu who wanted to produce 1000 doctors, then continued by Governor Lukas Enembe with the Papua Superior Students program and produce more than 3000 Papuan children with bachelor's degrees in various fields. ***