JAKARTA - Arya Iwantoro's name suddenly became a hot topic among netizens on various social media, he was dragged into a controversy that started with his wife's video, Dwi Sasetyaningtyas or Tyas, which went viral and sparked a wide debate.
Previously, the public highlighted Tyas' statement that she was proud of her son's status as a British citizen and the upload sparked a long discussion about nationalism and citizenship status.
The controversy grew after Tyas showed the British passport of their child, and it raised public questions about the commitment of the country's scholarship recipients.
However, attention then shifted to Arya, especially regarding the alleged violation of the obligation to serve as a recipient of the Education Fund Management Agency (LPDP), namely a state-funded scholarship.
Meanwhile, the issue that most netizens highlighted was Arya's status as a recipient of the LPDP for the S2 and S3 levels.
According to the provisions, LPDP scholarship recipients are required to return to Indonesia and serve with the 2N+1 scheme, namely two times the study period plus one year.
The emergence of the allegation that Arya has been living in the UK for five consecutive years, which is considered by some parties as a violation of the service contract.
Some netizens regretted that talents funded by the state chose to settle abroad permanently.
At the peak, in the APBN KiTa Press Conference, Monday, February 23, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa stated that Arya had agreed to return the scholarship funds he received along with interest.
In addition, Arya and his wife are said to be blacklisted in government agencies and required to return all funds and interest that have been used to the state.
So, who is Arya Iwantoro?
Arya is an alumnus of the Marine Engineering Department of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) class of 2013.
Then, he continued his studies to the Netherlands and earned a Master of Science degree at Utrecht University in 2016. At the same university, he continued his doctoral program (PhD) in Physical Geography in 2022.
After receiving his doctorate, Arya immediately started a career as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Exeter, England, from October 2022 to December 2024.
Then, since January 2025, he has served as a Senior Research Consultant at the School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, England.
He is part of the Coastal Marine Applied Research (CMAR) team that works on advanced numerical modeling projects.
In addition to his international career, Arya is also listed as one of the founders of the Lingkari Institute since 2020, an institution that focuses on marine education and conservation in Indonesia.
On the other hand, the public also highlighted Arya's family background, namely his father, Syukur Iwantoro, known as an experienced figure in the Indonesian bureaucracy.
He previously served as Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia in 2019 as well as Director General of Livestock and Animal Health.
Syukur Iwantoro's name also appeared in the news when he was questioned as a witness in the case of alleged bribery of imported beef at the Ministry of Agriculture on February 28, 2013.
Currently, Syukur Iwantoro is known to serve as Vice President Director at PT RMI-Mitr Phol Group as well as the General Chairman of the Indonesian Sugar Producers Association (Gapgindo).
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