December 2, 2011

Scholarship & The Legal Aspect

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I don't understand how Indonesian government works, or how scholarship should work, or how a legal document should be drafted and delivered. But I sure know if there's something ethically wrong. As part of my graduate scholarship that is granted by the Ministry of Education & Culture of Indonesia, I had to sign this suspiciously-sounding document:

  1. Melaksanakan kewajiban perkuliahan sesuai dengan ketentuan yang diberlakukan oleh Fakultas Seni Rupa dan Desain Institut Teknologi Bandung hingga selesai. Apabila dikemudian hari (30 hari setelah mengikuti perkuliahan perdana) tidak dapat mengikuti perkuliahan dan mengundurkan diri atas keinginan sendiri dan/atau tidak menyelesaikan program pendidikan sesuai jenjang pendidikan yang dipilih, bersedia mengembalikan dana Beasiswa Unggulan ke kas negara sebesar 2 (dua) kali dari biaya yang diterimakan selama masa studinya.
  2. Bersedia untuk tidak menerima beasiswa serupa dari pihak lain dan apabila menerima, bersedia dihentikan dan mengembalikan dana Beasiswa Unggulan ke kas negara sebesar 2 (dua) kali dari biaya yang diterimakan selama masa studinya.
  3. Bersedia untuk menulis pada jurnal/media massa nasional/internasional (mengkaitkan/menyebutkan Program Beasiswa Unggulan) sebagai pelaksanaan Intellectual Social Responsibility (ISR) sesuai dengan bidang studi yang diambil dan apabila tidak membuat jurnal/media massa nasional/internasional, bersedia untuk tidak menerima beasiswa pada semester/tahun berikutnya.
  4. Dalam kondisi anggaran Program Beasiswa Unggulan mengalami perubahan yang dikarenakan antara lain kenaikan harga bahan bakar minyak, bencana alam, krisis ekonomi global dan sebagainya, menyetujui beasiswa yang diterima mengalami keterlambatan pembayarannya.

If you find bullet number four, it says literally that in cases there is an oil price hike, natural disaster, economical crisis and et cetera, the government is not subject to the obligation that they should pay the scholarship in time. It means that during those circumstances (and add the ambiguity of "et cetera", the frustration!), they can pay whenever they want, even if it's late.

This brings two implications:

First, would it mean that there are other undefined, unplanned circumstances that could cause this? I am very suspicious of corrupt government officers.

Second, would it mean that in cases of payment delays, the students will be liable for temporary payment?

Ever since the beginning of receiving this scholarship, I have never felt that the ministry is truly committed, even more when listening to past grantees. I hardly trust the government, and now it's proved. If there's somebody who says we should put faith in Indonesia, it's definitely not the government.

Also, somebody must consult a lawyer before writing legal-binding statements like this.