JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education\n(LPDP) has issued an apology following the viral statement made by an\nLPDP scholarship recipient, Dwi Sasetyaningtyas, which sparked public\ndebate.<\/p>\n
The statement, \u201conly I need to be an Indonesian citizen, not my\nchild,\u201d which was uploaded on social media, drew criticism for being\nperceived as demeaning to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The Director of LPDP, Sudarto, regretted the statement and affirmed\nthat it did not reflect the values upheld by LPDP scholarship\nrecipients.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn behalf of LPDP and its alumni, we apologise for the unnecessary\nviral video, and we deeply regret it,\u201d he said at a press conference at\nthe Ministry of Finance on Wednesday (25\/2\/2026).<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to convey to all LPDP alumni that in the future, please\nmaintain ethical and national values. There is a saying now, \u2018Don\u2019t\nforget, you are using taxpayer money. Remember that. You are using\ntaxpayer money,\u2019\u201d he emphasised.<\/p>\n
He believes that the majority of LPDP alumni have worked with high\ndedication and contributed to Indonesia in various sectors.<\/p>\n
However, this case is expected to serve as a reminder for all\nscholarship recipients to continue upholding integrity, ethics, and\npublic trust in the management of the education endowment fund.<\/p>\n
In addition to the viral case, LPDP revealed that there are 36\nscholarship recipients who have not fulfilled their obligation to\ncontribute to Indonesia after completing their studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently, we are still in the process of examining 36 people,\nincluding the one in the viral video,\u201d said Sudarto.<\/p>\n
He explained that LPDP has examined more than 600 alumni based on\nimmigration data from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections,\npublic reports, and social media monitoring.<\/p>\n
In the examination process, LPDP assesses each case objectively and\nproportionally by considering the facts and context of the\nviolation.<\/p>\n
However, he affirmed that he would not hesitate to impose sanctions\non scholarship recipients who are proven to have violated their\nobligations.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, each case is processed objectively and proportionally by\nconsidering the facts and context,\u201d explained Sudarto.<\/p>\n
He added that this event is a momentum for LPDP to evaluate and\nstrengthen regulations and ensure that the contributions of alumni\nremain in line with the objectives of the program, namely building\nsuperior human resources for Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Previously, Dwi Sasetyaningtyas and her husband, Arya Pamungkas\nIwantoro, became the focus of public attention after a video uploaded by\nDwi sparked controversy.<\/p>\n
In the video, she expressed her pride if her child became a foreign\ncitizen with the statement, \u201conly I need to be an Indonesian citizen,\nnot my child,\u201d which then sparked outrage among netizens.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lpdp-director-apologises-for-viral-statement-remember-youre-using-taxpayer-money-1772071744", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }