Former LPDP Scholarship Awardees Blacklisted After Viral Controversy

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Dwi Sasetyaningtyas, a recipient of the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) scholarship popularly known as Tyas, issued a public apology after her controversial Instagram post on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, sparked a massive outcry with over 3 million views.

Although she has since deleted the original video from her personal profile, the footage continues to circulate widely as several accounts have re-uploaded it across various social media platforms.

The controversy erupted after a video showing her joy over her child officially becoming a British citizen went viral and drew intense scrutiny from netizens. “Finally, the package I have been waiting for over the past four months has arrived,” Tyas stated in the video.

She continued to explain the significance of the delivery while showing visible excitement. “This isn’t just any package; it contains a very important document that changes the fate and future of my children,” she added.

With an emotional expression, Tyas revealed that the document confirmed her second child's acceptance as a British citizen. “This is a letter from the United Kindom (UK) Home Office stating that my second child has been accepted as a British Citizen,” she expressed joyfully.

Tyas admitted she never expected to be able to provide such a privilege to her child while confirming their new status. “They are officially a British passport holder (British citizen),” she said, highlighting the strategic advantage of the document.

The most controversial part of her statement involved her personal views on Indonesian citizenship compared to foreign passports. “I know the world seems unfair but let it be just me who is an Indonesian citizen (WNI); my children should not be. We will strive for our children to have strong foreign national (WNA) passports,” she emphasized.

This specific comment caused an uproar, as many people lamented such words coming from someone who studied abroad funded by taxpayers' money. Consequently, netizens began tracing the background of both Tyas and her husband, Arya Pamungkas Iwantoro, who was also discovered to be an LPDP awardee.

Arya is a graduate of Ocean Engineering from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), class of 2013, before he continued his studies in the Netherlands. Public interest in Arya intensified following speculations regarding his status as an alumnus of the LPDP scholarship for both his Master’s and Doctoral degrees.

Tyas, a prominent ITB alumna and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) graduate, Netherlands, is currently under intense public scrutiny after her social media comments regarding her children's citizenship sparked a national uproar.

Although she is known as the founder of Sustaination, an environmental movement established in 2017, her prestigious reputation as an LPDP awardee has been overshadowed by allegations that her husband, Arya, failed to fulfill his mandatory service obligations to Indonesia.

The Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education Agency has officially intervened by summoning Arya, who currently works at the University of Plymouth, to address these serious compliance issues.

"LPDP is currently summoning Arya to request clarification and to carry out the process of enforcement and imposition of sanctions, up to the return of all scholarship funds," the institution stated, adding that penalties apply "if it is proven that the obligation to contribute in Indonesia has not been met."

In response to the growing backlash, Tyas issued a public apology on Friday, February 20, expressing deep regret for her statement that her children should not become Indonesian citizens.

"I hereby convey an open apology to the entire community who felt hurt, offended, or uncomfortable by that statement; it was born entirely from my personal disappointment, fatigue, and frustration," Tyas admitted, acknowledging that her words were inappropriate and belittled the national identity she still claims to love.

The controversy reached the highest levels of government, prompting Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa to condemn the couple's actions during the State Budget (APBN) Performance and Facts (KiTa) press conference.

"Tyas's content is like insulting the country, given that she and her husband were able to study abroad because of state money," the Minister remarked, subsequently announcing that the government will blacklist them from all state institutions and demand a full refund of their scholarship funds.

This high-profile case serves as a definitive warning that state-funded privileges carry a non-negotiable weight of loyalty and legal obligation to the nation. As the government tightens its oversight, the downfall of these once-celebrated scholars highlights that no amount of professional achievement can shield an awardee from the consequences of turning their back on their country. ***