BGN Deputy Agustina: We Will Refocus Beneficiaries of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme
The Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (Boch), Agustina Arumsari, has acknowledged being tasked with resolving various issues in the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, including governance aspects that have previously drawn scrutiny.
Agustina stated that she has only been effectively working for two days since being appointed as part of the new BGN leadership. In this short period, she admitted to discovering several problems that require immediate attention, ranging from data issues to programme management, in order to increase efficiency.
“We have identified several problems, such as data issues. There are also several clusters of problems where we may refocus the beneficiaries, with the aim of achieving budget efficiency and ensuring the programme’s objectives are met,” Agustina said at the Presidential Palace Complex, Central Jakarta, on Monday (8/6).
According to her, the primary goal of the MBG programme must be maintained: ensuring Indonesian children have access to nutritious food. However, she noted that governance issues still need to be rectified to ensure optimal programme execution. “The objective is good; we must ensure no Indonesian children go hungry. But the governance was lacking, leading to the current issues,” she added.
Agustina emphasised that one of the mandates given to the new BGN leadership is to resolve these issues gradually. While she could not yet provide extensive details due to her recent appointment, she confirmed that several problems have been identified and will be addressed one by one.
Furthermore, Agustina explained that the new leadership pattern within the BGN will be conducted collectively alongside the Head of BGN, Nanik S. Deyang, and Deputy Head Mayjen TNI Trenggono. She noted that there will be no rigid division of tasks among the leaders as seen in the previous structure, a move intended to strengthen internal coordination and overcome obstacles that have hindered organisational effectiveness.
She identified that one of the issues found relates to suboptimal internal collaboration between work units, which impacts both budget management and programme implementation. “We want to address issues such as the lack of internal collaboration. Between deputies, budgets, and so on, we see that we have not yet achieved optimal efficiency,” she said.
Consequently, improvements will be implemented through several work clusters, covering aspects from internal organisational resources to external services. The leadership change at the BGN was initiated by President Prabowo Subianto following an evaluation of the agency’s performance over the past 1.5 years. The government previously cited several factors for the leadership reshuffle, including the implementation of standard operating procedures (SOP), governance, and the quality of food within the MBG programme.