Students association challenged

The National Letters

I WRITE in support of Ambuge Awi and Aye Lae Ngapali regarding so-called Morobe students’ association.
First of all, it’s crazy for these so-called student leaders proclaiming loyalty and submission in the form of attending meetings and paying K100, as in the case of University of PNG, to be considered for the Gerson Sololu Scholarship.
The scholarship programme was initiated by former Governor Luther Wenge, saying it was for all Morobe students, as long as you have Morobe blood running in your veins and arteries.
By saying this, you cannot force a Morobean to pay to be a Morobean.
Don’t bring this type of petty politics to malnourish the human resource development.
You aren’t producing human resource, but you are chasing away the capacity that you will need in the near future to develop Morobe.
Overconfident student leaders end up pushing away undeniable facts acting as if their mothers are stepdaughters of Bill Gates.
Do not stand to proclaim yourself a next Morobean leader if you cannot pay attention to little facts.

  • We have students from all kinds of backgrounds;
  • We have students who do not wash with bath soap for weeks;
  • We have students who can walk the campus without even a K5 in their pockets for weeks;
  • We have students who are raised by single parents;
  • We have students whose parents have no other opportunities but selling their garden produce to earn roughly K700-K800 annually;
  • We have parents who have resources but no better market to do sales and support their kids; and
  • We have parents who have three to four kids studying.

Our transport system in Morobe doesn’t cover those in rural areas.
Being a city or town brought-up Morobean doesn’t give you any right to deprive those from rural areas by setting lousy policies based on your own life.
For Morobe students at UPNG, the student services division registration form (blue form) sets out very clearly that student groups must charge their members with membership fee not exceeding K20 and not below K5.
However, Morobe Students Union is the only association where you will pay K100.
Interestingly, they will pester you until you pay and that’s it.
You will never know the purpose it will be used for.
They won’t even produce a separate report for the K100 membership fee. Ignorance of the facts only demoralises the energy of unity and creates disagreement and factions.
I appeal to politicians and students leaders: charging a student to be a Morobean is not an option, but designed job offering is.
Are there any programs to make students repay after they finish benefitting from scholarship?
Are we really serving Morobe?
By encouraging money for scholarship, I am watching Lae City kids who are born Morobe, despite proclamation as proud Morobeans, often left out even they call Morobe their home and are very loyal to the association.
I was surprised to see a Milne Bay student with no connection to Morobe benefiting from the scholarship, even Highlanders and Sepiks.
Who are we going to serve with the scholarship?
What is the connection between the scholarship and the students?
Where will the students end up after completion of their studies?
Where are the job opportunities for the students?
How can we make students realise their obligation to serve Morobe?
These are some questions you student leaders should consider and discuss in liaison with the politicians for the love of Morobe.
Let Morobeans benefit from what is theirs.
It’s so funny watching overconfident and incompetent student leaders bluffing things away from the problem.
Never in my life will I pay to be a Morobean.

Alienated Brittz, Politique Bear