IPB University Professor Responds to LPDP Scholarship Recipient Controversy Over "I'll Be the Only Indonesian Citizen" Statement

A statement by an LPDP (Education Fund Management Agency) scholarship recipient suggesting that they alone should be an Indonesian citizen has drawn a response from Professor Hermanto Siregar, a professor at the Faculty of Economics and Management at IPB University, who argues the incident holds important lessons for the public. The situation represents, in his view, a moment for reflection, particularly for young people and scholarship recipients.

Professor Siregar identified at least four key reflections emphasising national consciousness, social media ethics, and the strategic objectives of Indonesia’s human resource development (HRD) efforts.

First, Professor Siregar assessed that the statement “I’ll be the only Indonesian citizen” reveals a lack of awareness that the scholarship originated from ‘public money’. “This lack of awareness leads to insufficient gratitude towards the Indonesian state and nation, resulting in a weak or absent sense of obligation to ‘repay’ the scholarship through working as effectively as possible to develop Indonesia,” he stated in a press release received Thursday (27 February) evening.

Second, Professor Siregar also observed problems of ethics and norms amongst many (though not all) young people today. “Even if conditions in one’s hometown are indeed poor, it is certainly not ethical to publicise these deficiencies on social media, which spreads rapidly to audiences in neighbouring countries and beyond.”

“The post became viral precisely because the person expressing these grievances is someone who should be grateful to their home country,” he added.

Third, substantively, the LPDP scholarship represents one of the government’s strategies aimed at developing high-quality and highly competitive Indonesian human resources. Domestically, young people receiving LPDP scholarships study at nationally recognised universities with international reputation. Internationally, scholarship recipients are sent to study at prestigious institutions ranked among the world’s top 100.

“With this experience, they are expected to become drivers or leaders of future development. This controversy reminds all stakeholders of the noble objective behind the government’s strategy for developing human resources,” Professor Siregar stated.

Finally, Professor Siregar urged all social media users to exercise greater caution before posting anything publicly. “Before posting, think twice or three times about the possible consequences,” he concluded.

Deputy Chair of Commission X of the House of Representatives, Lalu Hadrian Irfani, has announced that he will summon the Director General of the LPDP in the near future regarding the viral controversy surrounding the LPDP alumnus.