The Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme was born from a noble\nintention: to ensure Indonesian children receive adequate nutrition.\nHowever, in practice, this programme has instead generated various\npolemics. These range from allegations of corruption, mis-targeted\nbeneficiaries, and distribution problems, to food safety incidents.<\/p>\n
Criticism has come from various quarters, including students,\nacademics, economists, and anti-corruption activists. These issues\ndemonstrate that fulfilling the people\u2019s basic needs is not sufficiently\nachieved merely by providing a super-sized budget.<\/p>\n
The fundamental question is: How should the state fulfil the basic\nneeds of its people?<\/p>\n
From an Islamic perspective, the state is indeed obliged to guarantee\nthe fulfilment of society\u2019s basic needs. However, Islam possesses a\nparadigm different from the modern welfare state approach or the\npopulist approach that has developed in post-1998 Reformasi\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Islam views basic human needs as consisting of individual needs and\ncollective needs. Individual needs include food, clothing, and shelter.\nMeanwhile, collective needs encompass security, education, health, and\nvarious public services that can only be organised by the state\n(An-Nabhani, 2001).<\/p>\n
The state is obliged to ensure every citizen is able to meet their\nbasic needs. Yet the mechanism pursued is not solely through direct aid\nprovision, but first by creating an economic system that enables every\nhead of family to obtain decent work and income. The Prophet Muhammad\n(PBUH) said: \u201cThe Imam (leader) is the guardian of the people, and he is\nresponsible for the people under his care.\u201d (Narrated by al-Bukhari and\nMuslim).<\/p>\n
This hadith confirms that the state is not merely a regulator, but a\nra\u2019in (guardian) who is fully responsible for the welfare of\nsociety.<\/p>\n
In the Islamic economic concept, wealth distribution becomes an\nimportant instrument. The state is obliged to open fair access to\nownership, manage natural resources for the common good, and prevent the\naccumulation of wealth among a small group. The Qur\u2019an states: \u201c\u2026so that\nit will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you\u2026\u201d\n(QS. Al-Hasyr [59]: 7).<\/p>\n
Therefore, if society has the opportunity to obtain decent work,\nstable food prices, and enjoy good health and education services, a\nfamily\u2019s food needs can essentially be met independently.<\/p>\n
Does this mean Islam rejects programmes like MBG? No! Islam provides\nroom for the state to provide direct assistance to groups who are\ngenuinely unable to meet their needs. Orphans, the poor, persons with\ndisabilities, disaster victims, communities in conflict areas, and\nfamilies who have lost their breadwinner are groups that the state must\nguarantee through the Baitul Mal.<\/p>\n
However, such assistance is targeted, not universally applied. This\nprinciple aligns with the concept of distributive justice, which places\nresources according to need, rather than distributing them equally.<\/p>\n
From this viewpoint, the MBG polemic provides an important lesson.\nThe main problem lies not in the existence or absence of a free meal\nprogramme, but in the policy paradigm underlying it. When a social\nprogramme is run without an accurate database, transparent governance,\nand strong oversight, a noble goal easily turns into deviation,\nmisappropriation, and wastefulness, or even squandering that is\nmubadzir.<\/p>\n
Islam also heavily emphasises the integrity of public wealth\nmanagers. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) severely reprimanded officials who\nmisused state trust. In a hadith regarding a zakat collector who\nreceived a gift, he said, \u201cWhy does he not just sit in his father\u2019s or\nmother\u2019s house, then see whether a gift will come to him?\u201d (Narrated by\nal-Bukhari and Muslim). This hadith forms the basis for the prohibition\nof abusing office for personal gain.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, public financial management in Islam is built upon the\nprinciples of trust (amanah), transparency, and strict enforcement.\nCaliph Umar bin Khattab was even known to frequently audit his officials\nand did not hesitate to dismiss governors deemed to be living in luxury\nor abusing power.<\/p>\n
Another lesson to be drawn is the importance of building community\nself-reliance. Aid programmes should not stop at the consumption aspect\nbut should also encourage economic productivity. Therefore, if the state\npurchases foodstuffs directly from local farmers, livestock breeders,\nfishermen, and MSMEs, the benefits would be far broader. The state would\nnot only feed children but simultaneously drive the people\u2019s\neconomy.<\/p>\n
Islam teaches that welfare is not built merely through the size of a\nbudget, but through a just system, trustworthy governance, equitable\nwealth distribution, and leaders who truly view power as a trust, not an\nopportunity.<\/p>\n
The current MBG turmoil should be a momentum to evaluate the way the\nstate fulfils the people\u2019s basic needs. Even the way the state organises\nitself as a whole! In the Islamic perspective, a government\u2019s success is\nnot measured by the number of aid programmes launched, but by the extent\nto which every citizen can live decently, obtain their rights, and\nexperience genuine social justice.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/behind-the-mbg-polemic-how-islam-regulates-the-fulfilment-of-peoples-basic-needs-1782615073", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }