Chief of Presidential Staff reveals reasons behind President's replacement of National Nutrition Agency Head
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Chief of Presidential Staff, Retired General TNI Dudung Abdurachman, has emphasised that the removal of the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) by President Prabowo Subianto was conducted to strengthen transparency, accountability, and oversight of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. Dudung stated that this measure is necessary to ensure the programme remains free from corruption and irregularities.
“I am confident that the President has long been receiving information, closely observing, analysing, and evaluating various incoming sources. Therefore, I believe this is the right step for future improvements, ensuring that the BGN becomes increasingly transparent and accountable,” Dudung said in a written statement released in Jakarta on Thursday.
According to Dudung, the President’s decision resulted from an in-depth evaluation of the implementation of the MBG programme, which is one of the government’s priority initiatives to improve public nutritional quality, particularly for school children. The Attorney General’s Office previously conducted a search at the BGN office on Wednesday, one day after the announcement of the removal of several BGN leaders.
Dudung noted that the various pieces of information received by the President served as considerations for taking corrective measures within the agency. He revealed that approximately one month ago, he conducted a sudden field inspection and discovered several imbalances in the programme’s implementation, although most aspects were generally functioning well.
“The President wants perfection, ensuring that there is not even the slightest deviation from his programme,” he said.
Dudng stated that the focus for future improvements lies not only on food distribution but also on the governance and management systems supporting the overall implementation of the MBG programme. He added that oversight must be strengthened across the entire implementation chain, from foundation managers to the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), to close loopholes that could potentially reduce the quality of service and nutritional intake for beneficiaries.
“From my perspective, what truly needs to be improved is the management,” Dudung remarked.
The Presidential Staff Office confirmed it will continue to monitor the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme objectively and without compromise to support national nutritional targets while maintaining public trust in the use of the state budget.