{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1801569,
        "msgid": "the-3t-wetlands-1781340735",
        "date": "2026-06-13 14:57:51",
        "title": "The 3T Wetlands",
        "author": "Budi Raharjo",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Politics",
        "summary": "An opinion piece examines the corruption scandal engulfing Indonesia's free nutritious meal programme (MBG), initially celebrated for targeting vulnerable children in underdeveloped 3T regions. The author argues the very logic that made the programme easy to accept\u2014focusing on remote, needy areas\u2014was allegedly exploited by decision-makers for corrupt practices, turning a humanitarian effort into a rent-seeking venture. Prosecutors have named five suspects, including the former head of the National Nutrition Agency, in cases involving the sale of kitchen points and goods procurement mark-ups.",
        "content": "<p>Initially, the programme arrived like a party invitation.\nSchoolchildren would receive nutritious meals. Mothers would not need to\nworry excessively about their children going to school on an empty\nstomach. Alongside that, farmers hoped their harvests would be absorbed.\nLivestock breeders imagined their eggs and chickens would have a steady\nmarket. The state was present, not in the form of speeches, but in the\nform of warm rice, side dishes, vegetables, and a glass of milk. The\nidea was simple. Too beautiful to refuse, even. Who could bear to oppose\nchildren eating nutritiously? Therefore, when President Prabowo Subianto\nlaunched the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, many welcomed it with\napplause. Some supported it due to ideological conviction. Others for\nhumanitarian reasons. Moreover, this programme was not solely portrayed\nas distributing lunch to pupils in schools with neatly paved yards and\nair-conditioned classrooms. The MBG was, more importantly, introduced as\nan effort to save the future of Indonesia\u2019s most vulnerable children.\nChildren in underdeveloped regions. Pregnant women in impoverished\nvillages. Areas that for decades have been visited more often by\npromises than by policy. Who could bear to refuse? The image of children\nstudying on empty stomachs possesses extraordinary soft power. It can\nmelt political calculations. Like a hot knife through butter,\nhumanitarian reasons often liquefy objections. Especially if those three\nsacred letters are mentioned: 3T. Tertinggal (Underdeveloped). Terdepan\n(Frontier). Terluar (Outermost). Three letters containing both guilt and\nhope. For this republic knows, development often proceeds like a wedding\nguest who lingers too long in the front room. There are rooms at the\nback of the house that are briefly glanced at when elections approach,\nthen forgotten again once the party is over. Therefore, when the\ngovernment said the MBG would also reach 3T regions, many considered\nthis the noblest aspect of the programme. The state finally arrived\nbearing not just a flag and speeches, but also a plate of nutritious\nfood. Unfortunately, good intentions often invite uninvited guests.\nRecently, the narrative about MBG has changed drastically. A programme\ninitially promoted as an investment in the nation\u2019s future has suddenly\nentered the legal domain. Yet, criticism of MBG had actually emerged\nfrom the beginning. Some questioned its implementation readiness. Others\nwarned of potential budget leakages. Some demanded stricter oversight.\nBut its managers appeared calm. Criticism was treated like the sound of\ncrickets at night: audible, but deemed not important enough to make one\nrise from sleep. Until the situation reversed. President Prabowo\nSubianto dismissed the managers of the National Nutrition Agency and\nreplaced them with new officials. Not long after, the Attorney General\u2019s\nOffice moved further. Five people have been named as suspects by the\nAGO. They are not kitchen staff who miscalculated the number of eggs or\nwrongly recorded rice purchases. They are individuals within the\ndecision-making circle. The AGO named the former Head of the National\nNutrition Agency, Dadan Hindayana, as a suspect. Also apprehended were\ntwo former deputy heads of BGN, Sony Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung. From\nexternal parties, there is Asep Yusuf Somantri, described as a close\nassociate of Sony Sonjaya, and Andri Mulyono, Commissioner of PT Yasa\nArtha Trimanunggal. According to the AGO, two corruption clusters are\nbeing unravelled. The first cluster is the buying and selling of SPPG\npoints, namely the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units or MBG kitchens.\nThe second cluster is the procurement of goods and services, including\nthe alleged mark-up of electric motorcycle procurement worth around\nRp1.1 trillion. The second cluster is certainly serious. Its modus\noperandi feels familiar. This nation has witnessed procurement projects\nturning into budget magic tricks far too often. Prices that were\noriginally lean suddenly become fat. Documents that were supposed to be\nfences transform into red carpets. State money evaporates in an almost\nalways identical manner; only the names of the perpetrators change. But\nthe first cluster is far more interesting to dissect. For it is there\nthat we find an almost perfect irony. The logic that made the MBG easy\nto accept was allegedly the same logic used to manipulate its projects.\nIf 3T regions are considered most in need, their budgets would be easier\nto prioritise. If 3T regions are considered to concern the fate of the\nmost vulnerable children, proposals for additional points would be\nharder to reject. If 3T regions are perceived as far from scrutiny, the\nplaying field becomes more spacious. Like farmers seeking the most\nfertile soil to plant rice, rent-seekers apparently know precisely where\nthe wettest fields lie. And indeed, this allegation finds reflection in\nthe numbers. Initially, the number of SPPGs planned for 3T regions was\naround 2,000 points. That made sense.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-3t-wetlands-1781340735",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}