Before Becoming a Suspect, Sony Sonjaya Caused Controversy with Instagram Comments

Following the designation of former Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Sony Sonjaya, as a suspect in an alleged corruption case involving the management of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Programme, his digital footprint has come under renewed scrutiny.

Earlier this year, inappropriate comments made by Sony Sonjaya on social media gained widespread attention. The comments were made on an Instagram post by the account @jogjastudent, which featured a video of an oration by Tiyo Ardianto, the Chairman of the Student Executive Board (BEM) at Gadjah Mada University (UGM). In the video, Tiyo delivered harsh criticism regarding the MBG programme, questioning its urgency given that it targets 82 million Indonesian children. He also cited data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) showing poverty rates at less than 10 per cent, arguing that, logically, the programme should only cover approximately 9 per cent of the population rather than all children in the country.

The BEM UGM Chairman further alleged that the MBG programme was merely a ‘project’, claiming that owners of Nutrition Service Units (SPPG) or Foundations could earn monthly incomes ranging from Rp 100 million to Rp 125 million. He suggested that the distribution of these units was not based on democratic mechanisms but rather on political proximity, even referring to the programme as ‘thieves disguised as nutrition’.

The post drew significant public attention because Sony Sonjaya had responded with comments deemed unethical for a public official. Writing, “WHO CARES??? [The programme] has fed 60 million toddlers, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and students; it has absorbed over 1 million workers, and utilised agricultural, garden, fish, and livestock products… so… what has the orator produced??… [unintelligible]”, Sony added three monkey emojis to the comment section.

As previously reported, the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) officially named the former Head of the National Nutrition Agency, Dadan Hindayana, along with two deputies, Retired Lieutenant General Lodwyk Pusung and Retired Inspector General Sony Sonjaya, as suspects in a corruption case involving the alleged buying and selling of Nutrition Service Unit (SPPG) locations on Wednesday, 3 June 2026.