Attorney General's Office and Abpednas strengthen collaboration to oversee village funds and MBG programme

Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the National Village Consultative Body Association (Abpednas) have partnered to strengthen oversight of village development funds and the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. Deputy Attorney General for Intelligence (JAM-Intel) Reda Manthovani, who is also Abpednas’ Oversight Council Chair, stated in Jakarta on Saturday that the collaboration aims to assist the AGO in monitoring village financial management and ensuring government programmes reach their intended beneficiaries. He added that oversight is not solely the responsibility of law enforcement but also involves direct public participation to prevent potential mismanagement from the outset. ‘The products need to be monitored by the public. If they are substandard, they should be reported,’ he said during the Optimisation of the Village Prosecutor Programme (Jaga Desa) in support of National Priority Programmes (Jaga Dapur MBG & Jaga Indonesia Pintar) and the Inauguration of Abpednas Central Java Provincial and District Chapters at Karanganyar Regency’s Women’s Building on Friday (29 May). Reports can be submitted by uploading photos if substandard products or non-compliant services are found. Each report will be forwarded to relevant parties for follow-up, including potential sanctions against service providers who violate regulations. Besides monitoring the MBG programme, Abpednas is also focusing on the use of village development funds to ensure they benefit communities and local development. ‘We are striving to ensure that central government plans are fully implemented at the grassroots level,’ said Reda. Abpednas hopes that collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office and public involvement will help enhance transparency and the quality of village development across Indonesia.