LPDP Director Apologises for Viral Statement: 'Remember, You're Using Taxpayer Money!'
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) has issued an apology following the viral statement made by an LPDP scholarship recipient, Dwi Sasetyaningtyas, which sparked public debate.
The statement, “only I need to be an Indonesian citizen, not my child,” which was uploaded on social media, drew criticism for being perceived as demeaning to Indonesia.
The Director of LPDP, Sudarto, regretted the statement and affirmed that it did not reflect the values upheld by LPDP scholarship recipients.
“On behalf of LPDP and its alumni, we apologise for the unnecessary viral video, and we deeply regret it,” he said at a press conference at the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday (25/2/2026).
“I need to convey to all LPDP alumni that in the future, please maintain ethical and national values. There is a saying now, ‘Don’t forget, you are using taxpayer money. Remember that. You are using taxpayer money,’” he emphasised.
He believes that the majority of LPDP alumni have worked with high dedication and contributed to Indonesia in various sectors.
However, this case is expected to serve as a reminder for all scholarship recipients to continue upholding integrity, ethics, and public trust in the management of the education endowment fund.
In addition to the viral case, LPDP revealed that there are 36 scholarship recipients who have not fulfilled their obligation to contribute to Indonesia after completing their studies.
“Currently, we are still in the process of examining 36 people, including the one in the viral video,” said Sudarto.
He explained that LPDP has examined more than 600 alumni based on immigration data from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, public reports, and social media monitoring.
In the examination process, LPDP assesses each case objectively and proportionally by considering the facts and context of the violation.
However, he affirmed that he would not hesitate to impose sanctions on scholarship recipients who are proven to have violated their obligations.
“So, each case is processed objectively and proportionally by considering the facts and context,” explained Sudarto.
He added that this event is a momentum for LPDP to evaluate and strengthen regulations and ensure that the contributions of alumni remain in line with the objectives of the program, namely building superior human resources for Indonesia.
Previously, Dwi Sasetyaningtyas and her husband, Arya Pamungkas Iwantoro, became the focus of public attention after a video uploaded by Dwi sparked controversy.
In the video, she expressed her pride if her child became a foreign citizen with the statement, “only I need to be an Indonesian citizen, not my child,” which then sparked outrage among netizens.