Top Three: Mie Sedaap Layoffs and LPDP Scholarship Recipients Face Sanctions

Several events have captured public attention in the last week of February 2026. One of these concerns the layoffs carried out by companies in the lead-up to Eid this year. The recent controversy surrounding the Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP) has also been a focus of attention. This began when Dwi Sasetyaningtyas, an alumnus and scholarship recipient, posted about her child’s foreign citizenship on social media. Scroll down to continue reading. Here, Tempo summarises the three most popular news stories on the National channel on 24 February. 1. DPR Claims Mie Sedaap Management Will Stop Layoffs Deputy Speaker of the DPR, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, claims that the management of Mie Sedaap, PT Karunia Alam Segar, has agreed to halt the layoffs of employees. News of the layoffs affecting employees of the Mie Sedaap producer spread on social media. In various separate posts, information circulated that approximately 400 workers at the company had been laid off before the start of Ramadan, even though their employment contracts were still valid. Dasco stated that representatives of the legislative body had received input from the workers of the Mie Sedaap company and conveyed their response to management. Communication between the DPR and PT Kurnia Alam Segar resulted in the decision to stop the layoffs. “In our opinion, this should not have happened during the fasting month and in the lead-up to Eid. Therefore, Mie Sedaap agreed to halt the layoffs,” said Dasco on Tuesday, 24 February 2026. The Chairman of the Gerindra Party added that the commitment shown by management was sufficient. Therefore, he said, the announcement of this decision is expected to provide assurance to employees to continue working at the Mie Sedaap producer company. “I think the workers can now feel at ease and return to work, so that we can all fast and face Eid in peace,” said Dasco. 2. BPJPH: The United States is Strict About Halal Matters The Head of the Badan Penyelenggaraan Jaminan Produk Halal (BPJPH), Ahmad Haikal Hasan, responded to information that products from the United States do not need halal labels to enter Indonesia after the signing of a trade agreement by President Prabowo Subianto and US President Donald Trump last week. According to him, this information is incorrect. Haikal claims that the certification of halal imported products from the US will comply with Indonesian regulations and be carried out transparently. “Don’t worry, when it comes to halal matters, nothing is kept secret or hidden. Nothing is violated,” said Haikal on Tuesday, 24 February 2026. Haikal said that the United States has a strict halal certification ecosystem. He asked Indonesian consumers not to worry about imported US products that include halal labels from their own country. The US halal agency, he said, has been recognised and cooperates with many countries, including Indonesia. Halal certification from a trusted US agency is also recognised by the BPJPH as the halal authority in Indonesia. “I am not defending the United States. The United States is actually stricter (regarding halal matters) because it has been implementing halal standards since 1974,” he said. In addition, Haikal stated that the provisions for halal labels between Indonesia and the US are set out in the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). The MRA is a form of recognition of halal standards between the BPJPH and the Foreign Halal Certification Body (LHLN) in the United States. Haikal said that this agreement has been in effect before the signing of the Indonesia-US trade agreement last week. Haikal said that when the halal authority in the US has issued a halal label, Indonesia does not need to re-examine the halal status of the product. “It is only registered, and no longer processed from the beginning,” he said. 3. LPDP: 44 Scholarship Recipients Face Sanctions The Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP) has conducted research on 600 scholarship recipients. Of these, 44 awardees are suspected of not having fulfilled their service obligations after completing their studies. According to the applicable regulations, scholarship recipients are required to carry out service by contributing to Indonesia for twice the duration of their studies plus one year. The Director of LPDP, Sudarto, said that his institution is currently processing the imposition of sanctions on these awardees. “Of these, 8 people have been sanctioned (for violating the rules) and have been required to return the funds, while the remaining 36 are in the process,” said Sudarto on Monday, 23 February 2026. This information was obtained from data on immigration crossings from the Directorate General of Immigration, reports from the public, and social media searches. According to LPDP, not all reports automatically lead to violations. Some scholarship recipients are still in the internship period or are establishing businesses abroad for two years, which is permitted according to the scholarship recipient’s handbook. Others have completed their service period or have been assigned an official task by their institution. “We will process each case objectively and proportionally. Of course, we will continue to uphold public trust that this is public funds that must be returned and must provide the greatest benefit to Indonesia,” said Sudarto. In addition, he said that awardees who violate the rules may be required to return the scholarship funds plus interest, as well as be barred from participating in LPDP programs in the future. These provisions are set out in the agreement signed by the scholarship recipients. Sultan Abdurrahman and Dede Leni contributed to the writing of this article. Editor’s Choice: The Death of Indonesia’s Free and Active Politics