Anita Rachman, Jakarta – Lawmakers have denied they are insensitive to the dire plight of flood victims in West Papua by pressing ahead with a study trip to the United States.

Lawmakers from House Commission VIII, which oversees religious affairs, social affairs and women's empowerment, fly out on Saturday for a visit to Washington and an Amish community in Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, residents of flood-ravaged Wasior in West Papua are begging for help. Thirteen lawmakers from the commission will spend a week studying America's social policies and programs.

Chairun Nisa, a deputy chairwoman of the commission, said other lawmakers would take care of the problem. "We will have a team flying to Papua," she said. "A study trip will not distract our focus from helping the flood victims. We still have people here in the country to help with the disaster."

The lawmakers will visit 12 government agencies in Washington to study models for child protection, religious harmony, caring for the elderly and social security.

Unlike previous much-criticized comparative study trips taken by legislators, this one is unrelated to any bill. But Chairun said it was important to meet officials from some of the departments in the United States to learn how they managed their budgets.

"We would like to know whether they have good budgeting for promoting the empowerment of women, for example, and how they do that," she said. "As you know, the budget for the Women's Empowerment Ministry is very small."

Commission deputy chairman Radityo Gambiro said the trip would be funded by an unused part of the budget allocated for the commission from the 2004-09 term.