Prabowo, LPDP, State Investment, and the Nationalism Crisis

The emergence of LPDP (Education Fund Management Institution) scholarship alumna Dwi Sasetyaningtyas, who conveyed the narrative “it’s enough that I’m an Indonesian citizen — my children need not be,” warrants serious attention. The statement clearly belittled national identity, disregarded the state’s role in funding her education, and pointed to a crisis of nationalism.

The incident signals a failure on the part of LPDP’s management to instil a spirit of nationalism in scholarship recipients. LPDP must take responsibility for producing scholarship holders who do not value their national identity.

LPDP is a work unit under the Ministry of Finance tasked with managing an endowment fund allocated partly for education. It was established as a Public Service Agency (BLU) under Finance Minister Decree No. 18/KMK.05/2012, dated 30 January 2012.

LPDP’s vision is to serve as a catalyst for producing Indonesia’s future leaders through high-impact programmes in priority ecosystems, operating as a world-class fund management organisation and a trusted partner in driving growth, prosperity, and inclusion in Indonesia.

LPDP’s budget comes from the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN), which is essentially the people’s money. In 2026, the APBN allocated Rp25 trillion for the Education Endowment Fund. Currently, LPDP manages an endowment totalling Rp180.8 trillion.

Unlike regular APBN allocations that must be spent within a single fiscal year, LPDP’s endowment fund need not be exhausted annually and can be invested to generate returns. This mechanism ensures the sustainability of scholarship programmes for future generations.

As of 31 December 2025, LPDP had awarded scholarships to 58,444 individuals. Of these, 32,632 are recorded as alumni, 18,981 are still pursuing their studies, and 6,831 are in the preparatory phase.

LPDP scholarship recipients are, by nature, a select group, having been chosen from tens of thousands of applicants. In 2025, 4,000 recipients were selected from a total of 78,000 applicants.

Given the substantial state funding allocated to LPDP and the large number of applicants who were not selected, scholarship recipients should be expected to provide commensurate returns to the nation. This responsibility should ideally be carried as a lifelong, long-term commitment to advancing the country.

LPDP Evaluation

The surfacing of a video by LPDP awardee Dwi Sasetyaningtyas indicates weakness in LPDP’s management when it comes to preparing scholarship recipients. As a result, a scholarship holder could display an attitude entirely devoid of empathy for Indonesia’s conditions.

Indonesia remains a developing nation with a significant poverty rate of 23.36 million people, or 8.25 per cent of the total population. The country also faces considerable challenges with stunting, extreme poverty, unemployment, and inequality.

The state seeks to combat poverty and underdevelopment through investment in education, including via LPDP scholarships. The expectation is that funding the next generation to study at the world’s best universities will produce an outstanding, globally competitive generation.

This outstanding generation is expected to serve as a catalyst for elevating the Indonesian nation as a whole into an advanced and prosperous society. Therefore, LPDP scholarship recipients are not only required to return home but also to make tangible contributions to the nation.

Before receiving their scholarships, recipients should undergo thorough preparation regarding their obligation to advance the nation. This sense of duty must be firmly embedded in the soul of every scholarship holder.

The indoctrination of LPDP scholarship recipients must produce individuals who are fully responsible and capable of placing the nation’s interests above personal ones.

The Dwi Sasetyaningtyas case cannot be dismissed lightly. It may well be the tip of the iceberg. There is a real possibility that many other LPDP scholarship alumni have similarly failed to fulfil their obligation to contribute to the nation.

LPDP must maintain comprehensive data on the whereabouts and contributions of each scholarship alumnus. A total evaluation of the screening and monitoring systems for LPDP scholarship recipients is needed to prevent cases like that of Dwi Sasetyaningtyas from recurring.

Prabowo’s Commitment

LPDP would do well to follow the example of President Prabowo Subianto in awarding scholarships to the nation’s brightest young people. For Prabowo, higher education represents an investment in human resources aimed at creating outstanding, nationalistic individuals who will ultimately contribute to national progress.

Since his days as a businessman through to his presidency, Prabowo has provided scholarships to selected young Indonesians. As a businessman, he funded the education of the nation’s most promising young people to pursue studies abroad.

Among the young people he sponsored were Sugiono and Sudaryono. Sugiono continued his education at Norwich University in the United States, whilst Sudaryono studied at the National Defense Academy of Japan.

Today, Sugiono has been entrusted with the role of Foreign Minister, whilst Sudaryono serves as Deputy Minister of Agriculture. Both are devoted to serving the nation wholeheartedly.

Furthermore, during his time as a military official, both as Commander of Kopassus and as Minister of Defence, Prabowo continued this tradition of sponsoring promising young Indonesians for education.