Analyst Suggests Free Nutritious Meal Programme Be Strengthened with Local Government Involvement

Public Policy Analyst Trubus Rahardiansah has proposed that the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) strengthen the role of regional governments in the sustainability of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. He stated that the participation of regional heads and local councils (DPRD) is important to enhance oversight while ensuring the programme’s economic benefits are genuinely felt by communities at the local level. “So, this evaluation, which I think is important, is what the role of regional governments has been so far,” Trubus said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday. He assessed that the implementation of the MBG has so far been too centralised within the BGN, meaning the scope for regional government involvement has not been optimal. “Honestly, I think the centralisation of the MBG implementation by the BGN is too strong, so everything regional in nature, the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) are in the regions, that should involve the regional head. The regional head, meaning the regional head and the DPRD, they must participate in overseeing this process,” he said. He explained that oversight from regional governments is necessary so that the operation of the SPPG runs more accountably, including ensuring the involvement of local businesses as part of the programme’s supply chain. In this way, he said, regional heads can ensure that the raw materials used by the SPPG come from local micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM), cooperatives, and suppliers, so the economic benefits of the MBG can be directly felt by the surrounding community. “So they can ensure the involvement of UMKM, cooperatives, and suppliers. That the raw materials truly come from their own environment,” Trubus said. He revealed that there are still instances of raw material procurement from outside the region, which reduces the opportunity for local businesses to enjoy the economic impact of the programme. “Not taken from elsewhere. So far, a lot of procurement has come from outside. This often becomes a problem, resulting in a lack of broad public participation, in this case, auditing,” he stated. Furthermore, Trubus also stressed the importance of auditing SPPG operations as part of efforts to increase the transparency of the MBG programme. According to him, public disclosure is a demand that the government must answer. “I say auditing the SPPG is very important, because the root of the problem so far has been the transparency that is being demanded. The public has been demanding this to this day,” he said. He gave an example that information regarding the daily menu served should be accessible to the public as a form of accountability and a tool to maintain service quality. “For instance, what is the schedule for today? What is the menu? That is very important, because the menu becomes the measure by which the presentation, quality, and so on can be maintained,” he said. Trubus supports the continuation of the MBG programme initiated by President Prabowo Subianto by strengthening the programme through the involvement of regional governments.