JAKARTA - In the last few days, social media has been filled with discussions about an alumni of the Education Fund Management Agency (LPDP) named Dwi Sasetyaningtyas or Tyas who uploaded a video about his child's citizenship status.
"It's enough that I'm a WNI, my children don't, we'll deal with the children with a strong WNA passport," said Tyas in a video upload on Instagram, when her son officially got a British passport.
Tyas's words provoked public anger. The reason is that the sentence is considered an insult to Indonesian citizens (WNI) and does not reflect the attitude of nationalism, although some others see it as a natural expression of joy, namely that the child has a "strong" passport.
The insults to Tyas were unstoppable after learning that she and her husband, Arya Iwantoro, were recipients of the LPDP scholarship, a higher education funding scheme whose source is the State Budget (APBN).
Child education and protection expert Susanto criticized Tyas' statement that she was proud of her child being a foreigner. He emphasized that as a recipient of the LPDP scholarship, Tyas has a moral obligation to maintain her commitment to nationality.
LPDP is a scholarship that is accessible to the public, which does not require a certificate of financial inability, so this program is a means for people to get a class.
Yanuar Nugroho, founder and advisor of the Centre for Innovation Policy and Governance as well as reviewer of a number of scholarships, said that the LPDP is a medium- to long-term investment to improve the quality of life together. In developed countries, the government provides scholarships to its citizens to become the foundation of a knowledge-based economy.
"Don't let short-term government programs, even populist promises, sacrifice long-term investment just because of sentiments towards the LPDP controversy. It shouldn't be because of the value of a drop, the milk of the next person is damaged," said Yanuar, quoting Kompas.
Public anger against LPDP scholarship recipients who are proud of their children getting British passports because the current public tension is hot, according to Yanuar. Indonesian people are already wary of the implementation of policy situations in Indonesia lately.
So, social media content that is a show-off of privileges gets the status of foreign nationals to become gasoline that burns public emotions.
Candidates for scholarship recipients, scholarship recipients, and LPDP alumni must be loyal, obedient, and fully recognize Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. The three parties are also required to maintain the good name of Indonesia and LPDP, both in words and actions.
The obligation is stated in the General Guidelines for Candidates for Scholarship Recipients, Scholarship Recipients, and LPDP Alumni which were updated in January 2026.
Alumni are also required to be in Indonesia no later than 90 days after the graduation date. Scholarship recipients who have completed their studies are required to contribute in Indonesia at least twice during their studies.
In this case, Tyas was stated to have completed her contribution in Indonesia, but not with her husband. However, the LPDP controversy is actually not only about the difficulty of completing or not completing the administrative aspect.
Public Ethics and Moral ObligationsThis issue has become a hot topic because what is highlighted is the issue of ethics, nationalism, and national vision. The LPDP scholarship is not just an academic contract, but an instrument of public education policy to build strategic human resources for Indonesia.
Employment observer and BPJS Watch Advocacy Coordinator, Timboel Siregar, assessed that the LPDP scholarship is one of the state's instruments to improve human resources.
"LPDP is a government instrument to improve human resources, so that when they (scholarship recipients) return to the country, they can increase added value as well (have an impact on industry and society)," said Timboel.
Meanwhile, child education and protection expert Susanto highlighted the public ethics and moral obligations inherent in LPDP scholarship recipients. As a scholarship recipient funded by the state, DS has a moral obligation to maintain national commitment.
LPDP scholarships, which are funded by the people's money, should not only be used as a facility to pursue higher education, but also as a means to improve the quality of Indonesian human resources and contribute to national development.
"If education is financed by the state through the LPDP, there is a moral obligation to maintain a commitment to nationality, not just to utilize public facilities. It's not about the end of the contribution period, but about the ethics of being a nation and a state. Save me, this is very principled," said Susanto.
This statement emphasizes that the moral obligation of a LPDP scholarship recipient does not end after the contribution period is completed, but continues to be attached as part of the ethics of being a nation and state.
The public, including LPDP alumni, is certainly disappointed with a series of government policies that are considered not to be in the people's favor. But that does not mean sacrificing nationalism.
"Although the country has pluses and minuses, we must separate where Indonesia is as a country and where the party that disappoints us. If the policy that disappoints us, there is no need to carry the name Indonesia," said Enta Fadila Tapisa (28), LPDP scholarship alumnus, who studied at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, quoted by Kompas.
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