Central Kalimantan Governor Receives Public Support for Free Nutritious Meal Programme

Dozens of residents, members of the Central Kalimantan Child Nutrition Concern Coalition, held a peaceful rally in front of the Central Kalimantan Governor’s Office on Tuesday (30/6) to voice their support for the continuation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. The demonstration proceeded in an orderly manner and featured a dialogue between representatives of the crowd and Governor Agustiar Sabran, who stated that he accepted all the input conveyed by the participants. He said the Provincial Government would forward these aspirations to the central government in accordance with its authority. “As servants of the people of Central Kalimantan, we will certainly convey this message or aspiration directly to President Prabowo Subianto. Central Kalimantan is one of the national food barns towards Golden Indonesia 2045; Central Kalimantan is Indonesia’s future. Central Kalimantan has an important role in realising Golden Indonesia 2045,” said Agustiar Sabran. “Here I sit together with the people of Central Kalimantan so that we can carry out President Prabowo’s vision and mission together for Golden Indonesia 2045. Thank you to all the people of Central Kalimantan who care enough to provide criticism and suggestions,” he added. The aspirations conveyed by the rally participants included support for the programme’s implementation and a proposal to strengthen regulations so that the MBG implementation can run more optimally. Rally representative Yani stated that the action was a form of public support for the vision and mission of President Prabowo Subianto, particularly the MBG, which is considered to have a strategic impact on human resource development. “This activity was held to ensure the MBG programme can continue to run in Central Kalimantan, while supporting the vision and mission of President Prabowo Subianto,” said Yani. According to him, besides supporting the fulfilment of children’s nutrition, the MBG also serves as a long-term development instrument by improving the quality of human resources from an early age. Furthermore, the programme is said to be capable of providing a multiplier effect on the regional economy by involving micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the food supply chain. Yani, who works at SPPG Menteng V, mentioned at least three main benefits of implementing the MBG: meeting the nutritional needs of the nation’s future generation, improving the quality of human resources from an early age, and encouraging economic growth at the grassroots level. “We fully support the MBG programme initiated by Mr Prabowo. We hope the Central Kalimantan Provincial Government can align with and provide full support for the sustainability of this programme,” he said. The crowd also requested an evaluation of the MBG implementation by establishing a stronger legal framework to ensure certainty of execution in the field, and urged the government to take firm action against parties deemed to be hindering or damaging the image of the MBG in accordance with the provisions of the law.