DPR Legislator: Free Nutritious Meal Programme Must Be Free from Irregularities

Member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Firman Soebagyo, has stated that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme is a social initiative with a noble aim to assist the community, particularly underprivileged children. Nevertheless, he said the implementation of the MBG programme must be evaluated and kept free from any potential irregularities. He argued the MBG programme is increasingly important as a form of social protection for the public amidst economic pressures resulting from global geopolitical and geo-economic turmoil. “In this critical situation, programmes like MBG must serve as a protective shield for the people. Do not let its good intentions be ruined by mismanagement on the ground,” Firman said in a statement on Friday, 19 June 2026. He explained that geopolitical conflicts, trade wars, and fluctuations in global food and energy prices have had a direct impact on the community’s economic conditions. Rising prices of staple goods and weakening purchasing power are considered to be increasingly burdening low-income groups. Therefore, he supports the government’s move to impose a moratorium, evaluation, and investigative audit on the implementation of the MBG programme. According to him, this policy is necessary to ensure the programme runs in accordance with its original objectives. “MBG must return to its original goal, which is targeting the underprivileged, especially in the 3T regions—disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost areas,” he stated. Firman also reminded the government to be open to various inputs developing within society, including criticism from student groups. Additionally, he requested a comprehensive evaluation of several other programmes related to the empowerment of village and fishing communities. He highlighted alleged procedural violations in the procurement of goods and services as well as budget usage in a number of programmes, necessitating stricter supervision to avoid legal issues in the future. On the other hand, Firman urged the public not to use the MBG programme as a political tool or a means to divide society. He called on all parties to respect the ongoing legal process. “We must fully trust law enforcement officials to carry out the process thoroughly and transparently. Anyone proven to have misused state funds must be processed according to the law without discrimination,” he stressed.