Scholarship / Australia Awards Scholarship Essay (Master of Public Policy) [3]

Hai everyone. My name is Richy and now I'm working on my scholarship application (AAS).
I would very grateful and really appreciate if you review my essay. Thank you

Why did you choose your porposed course and institution?

*(1986 characters from max. 2000)

I choose Master of Public Policy (MPP) because I have an interest in government policy. MPP will equip me more in theory and practice in policymaking and analysis to answer challenges and problems in society, specifically in underdeveloped areas that still lack of policy experts. Therefore, I will be able to contribute to forming government policies that are more responsive, sustainable, and able to adapt to the needs of the community, especially in extreme events (e.g. COVID-19 Pandemic).

My undergraduate study has provided an understanding of policymaking theory from legal perspective. However, the knowledge of policymaking in theory and practice from other fields such as economics, politics, government, leadership, and management is needed as a unity of expertise in policymaking. In Indonesia, the slow response from the government, the lack of a sense of crisis and coordination between the central and local government, and the less supportive social and cultural responses and economic conditions in the community have resulted delays in crisis management (Journal of Borneo Administrator Vol. 6(2) 2020).

I believe The University of Melbourne is the best choice because of its courses. Besides offering courses that support skills in policymaking like other universities, Unimelb specifically provides Crisis Management as a Core Subject which can prepare me in crisis management to prepare, respond to, and recover from extreme events such as epidemics, earthquakes, floods, bushfires, or financial collapse. To make sustainable policies for Indonesia, Unimelb also offers a course "Indonesia Rising?" which is not offered by other universities that specifically discuss Indonesia which has geopolitical similarities and close political relations with Australia as a democratic and decentralized power and the only member of the G20 in Southeast Asia so that it can support my ability to form policies which in my opinion describes "think globally and act locally".

Scholarship / Study impact on my career as a Policy Analyst and Planning Expert in government [3]

Hai everyone. My name is Richy and now I'm working on my scholarship application (AAS).
I would very grateful and really appreciate if you review my essay. Thank you

How will the proposed study contribute to your career?

*(1975 characters from max. 2000)

My future career is to be a Policy Analyst and Planning Expert in government. I choose this career path because of the clear and openly measurable career paths and performance. To become a Policy Analyst, skills and knowledge are needed in the fields of public policy, technical and policy analysis, and policy advice forming-writing. In terms of planning, special skills in planning, management, monitoring and evaluation, and leadership are also needed.

Master of Public Policy will equip me to meet these required competencies and qualifications through the courses presented. By completing the courses Public Policy Analysis and Political Problems and Policy Responses, I will have in-depth knowledge of the disciplines of political science and policy and administration, and the ability to examine governance, policy, and public sector reform issues from other disciplinary perspectives. I will also have critical and strong reasoning skills, and creativity in applying theory and research methods to complex practical problems across diverse contexts. In terms of Planning, after completing the Crisis Management, Monitoring and Evaluation in Development, and Executive Leadership and Management courses, I will be able to design and implement an effective Monitoring and Evaluation plan and system for development organizations and have effective oral and written communication skills and responsible, self-motivation, self-direction and outstanding organizational skills to set goals and manage time and priorities.

The Master of Public Policy degree that I will obtain after completing my studies can ultimately meet the qualifications needed to work as a Policy Analyst and Planning Expert in the Provincial Government and the Central Government which requires a minimum of Master level of education. Apart from that, I also will have the opportunity to become a practitioner lecturer to share the knowledge from my Master's education and from my work experience.

Scholarship / How have you implemented a change or reform? Controversial court judgments [3]

Hai everyone. My name is Richy and now I'm working on my scholarship application (AAS).
I would very grateful and really appreciate if you review my essay. Thank you

How have you contributed to solving a challenge and to implementing change or reform?

(Be specific and include: what aspects / s of your leadership knowledge, skills and practice you consider to be well established and effective; which people or organizations you worked with to solve the problem; and what creative methods were used.)

*(1998 characters from max. 2000)

In February 2020, I became the Head of the Committee for the Salatiga District Court Hearing. This activity facilitated students to have a discussion with a judge about how court judgments are made and about court judgments that caused controversy in the community. For that, we needed a theme that represents these problems and I offered "Achieving Justice in Judge's Decision" which was approved by other committees and the Steering Committee. We realized that there is a problem that may the material presented is not in sync with the audience's needs. As the head of the committee, I instructed the Program Division to prepare discussion trigger questions to anticipate the unfocused discussion. Other than that, with other committees, I compiled a Discussion Introduction which contains the main materials that must be conveyed by the speaker synchronized with the discussion trigger questions. On the day of the activity, with the trigger questions that had been prepared and the Discussion Introduction that had been delivered, many participants were enthusiastic to ask questions and on the other hand, the invited judge had prepared the material being asked so that both students and the judge received feedback as expected.

From August to October 2020, I volunteered in A Better World Festival which mobilized communities throughout Indonesia to make social actions in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic. One of my tasks was to prepare webinar themes on issues of equality, environment, health, and education. On the basis of the analysis of the latest issues, 2 of the 4 themes I suggested were adjusted and used by Campaign as the themes for the national webinars at the peak of A Better World Festival. The 2 themes discussed Mental Health in the midst of a pandemic and the challenges of distance learning in villages and cities. For this contribution, I was selected as a Volunteer of The Week and was nominated for the best Liaison Officer Leader along with 5 other volunteers.

Scholarship / Examples how you will gain from your scholarship. Indonesian policy, collaboration with Australia [3]

Hai everyone. My name is Richy and now I'm working on my scholarship application (AAS).
I would very grateful and really appreciate if you review my essay. Thank you

Gaining from scholarship and limited access

Please: a) give up to three practical examples of how you intend to use the knowledge, skills and connections you will gain from your scholarship. Possible tasks can be personal and / or professional; and b) list any possible constraints you think may prevent you from achieving these tasks. *:

*(1954 characters from max. 2000)

1. Make an analysis and providing recommendations on policies issued in my region and other regions in Indonesia. In the professional field, I will join the regional policy-making team that will specifically formulate regional policies in terms of empowering communities, maximizing creative economy and tourism, as well as policies for anticipation, handling, and crisis recovery. If possible, I can also become the project leader for government programs of these policies and be directly involved in monitoring and evaluating programs.

2. Build a collaboration with the Australian Government or the private sector and individuals and recommending areas in Indonesia for human empowerment, tourism, and creative economy programs that they provide. The connections that I will get will open up opportunities for me to find potential support for the community programs in Indonesia.

3. Become a lecturer for the Legal Drafting course in the Law Studies Program and the Managerial Decision Making course at the Management Study Program at Wira Wacana Christian University, Sumba. I believe the best way to keep learning and using the knowledge at the same time is by teaching. Other than that, this is crucial for underdeveloped regions to build a spirit of change in their young generation because they are the next ones who will build the area.

There are things that may prevent me from achieving those tasks namely related to limited access. To be directly involved in policymaking and implementation of government programs, I have to be in the local government bureaucracy or be invited to be involved in it. On the other hand, the lack of human resources, awareness, and support from the local governments for international collaboration make it difficult to realize the collaboration plans. The unavailability of opportunities for the lecturers from civil servants to teach part-time also prevented me from being involved in the lecture processes.