An alliance of students from several universities erected banners\nsharply criticising the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme at\nstrategic points in Depok and the South Jakarta border on Friday, 26\nJune 2026. The early morning action served as a reminder that the\ngovernment\u2019s flagship programme is considered problematic and has\nclaimed victims.<\/p>\n
Banners were unfurled at various busy locations, from pedestrian\nbridges (JPO) to the flyover accessing the University of Indonesia.\nMessages displayed included \u201cRoads Congested, MBG Runs Smoothly\n#TOWARDSBANKRUPTINDONESIA\u201d, \u201cMBG STINKS, OFFICIALS ARE SHAMELESS\u201d, and\n\u201cPOLICE SHOULD HANDLE ROBBERS, NOT MBG\u201d. There was also a claim\nregarding the number of poisoning victims: \u201c33,626 STUDENTS HAVE BEEN\nPOISONED BY MBG\u201d.<\/p>\n
Hafidz Haernanda, Coordinator for Social and Political Affairs of the\nUniversity of Indonesia Student Executive Board (BEM UI), confirmed the\nbanner installation. He described the action as a warning to citizens\nnot to forget the negative impacts of the MBG programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, BEM UI, BEM NF, BPM & SEMA FH KM UP, and the BEMFAK\nAlliance from Gunadarma installed stern warning banners in Depok. We\ncame to remind the people that MBG is not a solution, but a major\nproblem,\u201d Hafidz said on Friday, 26 June 2026.<\/p>\n
According to him, the installation was carried out around 4:00 AM WIB\nat several points, including the Lenteng Agung pedestrian bridge, two\npedestrian bridges on Margonda, the Cijago Toll Road on Juanda Street,\nin front of the Depok billboard, Pancasila University Station, and the\nUI access bridge.<\/p>\n
Hafidz assessed that the MBG programme has actually created new\nproblems, including poisoning cases among students. \u201cA programme that is\nsupposedly \u2018nutritious\u2019 has instead become poison for the nation\u2019s next\ngeneration. Trillions of rupiah of the people\u2019s money is claimed for\nfree lunches, but in reality, it is being corrupted so lightly,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He also criticised the role of the police, which he deemed\nmisdirected. \u201cDepok\u2019s roads are severely congested every day, public\ntransport is a mess, but the authorities are busy managing MBG\nkitchens,\u201d said the student from the UI Faculty of Administrative\nSciences.<\/p>\n
The students demanded that the government take responsibility for the\nalleged poisoning, the use of the state budget, and the direction of\ndevelopment priorities. \u201cResidents of Depok, do not let them forget this\njust because of sweet reporting,\u201d Hafidz stated.<\/p>\n
Based on Tempo\u2019s monitoring, several banners on Jalan Margonda,\nSimpang Juanda, the Margonda pedestrian bridge, and the UI access\nflyover were removed a few hours after being installed. Hafidz assessed\nthat the swift removal indicated a fear of the message conveyed by the\nstudents. \u201cOur banners were indeed removed within hours. But our message\ncannot be removed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Previously, on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, a mass calling themselves the\nDepok Community Alliance held a peaceful rally at Depok City Hall to\nsupport various policies of President Prabowo Subianto. A day later,\nanother group of residents held a rally rejecting the MBG and urging the\nreactivation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ui-student-alliance-erects-banners-in-depok-criticising-free-nutritious-meal-programme-1782460547", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }