PDI-P Legislator Warns LPDP Scholarship Recipients Against Seeking Social Prestige, Reminds Them Funding Comes from Taxpayers

Jakarta, VIVA – A statement by an LPDP (Education Fund Management Institution) scholarship alumna with the initials DS, who declared “it’s enough that I’m an Indonesian citizen, not my children,” continues to draw widespread condemnation.

Member of House of Representatives Commission X, Bonnie Triyana, said the remark not only wounded public sensibilities but also demonstrated a disregard for the origins of the educational funding she received.

Bonnie stressed that LPDP scholarships are not merely ordinary academic facilities but rather a mandate funded directly from taxpayer money. As such, every scholarship recipient should uphold their integrity, conduct, and commitment to the nation’s interests.

“LPDP recipients must honour the trust placed in them when using their scholarship funds, especially since those funds are collected from the people’s taxes,” Bonnie said on Monday, 23 February 2026.

He emphasised that state scholarships must not be treated as vehicles for purely personal gain, let alone give rise to attitudes that appear to distance recipients from their national identity. In his view, LPDP recipients should be part of the solution to national problems, rather than displaying an orientation contrary to the spirit of public service.

Bonnie also cautioned scholarship recipients against becoming trapped by the symbolism of academic prestige alone. He took aim at the phenomenon of highly educated graduates who take greater pleasure in their social status than in making tangible contributions to society.

“Graduates fortunate enough to receive LPDP scholarships should not use them merely for social prestige atop the ivory tower on the mountain, but should come down from the mountain to help solve the problems faced by the people, drawing on their respective knowledge and expertise,” he asserted.

He added that the LPDP selection system and requirements have been well designed and rigorous. The recent controversy, he said, relates more to the attitudes and personal responsibility of individual recipients than to any weakness in the system.

“I believe the LPDP requirements are already sound. It simply comes down to consistency in honouring the agreements,” he said.

The controversy originated from a post on the Instagram account @sasetyaningtyas, which showed an official document from the United Kingdom Home Office. In the video, DS displayed a letter confirming that her second child had officially become a British citizen, complete with an issued passport.