Dudung Denies Owning Free Meal Programme Kitchens, Challenges Accusers

Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP) Dudung Abdurachman has denied rumours that he owns a nutritional fulfilment service unit (SPPG) following the uncovering of an alleged mismanagement case in the free nutritious meal (MBG) programme. Dudung stated unequivocally that he does not own any MBG kitchen at all. This was conveyed by Dudung after receiving an audience with National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Head Nanik Sudaryati Deang at his office in Jakarta on Wednesday. Dudung clarified the claims regarding SPPG points through the suspect in the corruption case involving SPPG affiliations and mark-ups in MBG procurement, former BGN Head Dadan Hindayana. ‘Furthermore, I would like to provide a clarification; there is news saying Mr. Dudung supposedly has points through Mr. Dadan,’ said Dudung. In his denial, Dudung recounted that several Islamic boarding schools close to him had conveyed information regarding MBG beneficiaries. The number of beneficiaries at these boarding schools was in the thousands. ‘I informed them, so a few months ago, perhaps six or seven months ago, as I am close to Islamic boarding schools, some boarding school administrators, including Abah Junaidi and Ustaz Iskandar, conveyed to me that there was indeed a programme for the schools to be targets as beneficiaries. Because at these schools, there are four thousand or five thousand students, they could be designated as points for the kitchens,’ he explained. These schools requested to be introduced to Dadan through Dudung regarding the MBG beneficiaries. According to Dudung, the requirements to receive MBG had already been prepared by the boarding schools. ‘So, they then asked to be introduced to Mr. Dadan. I informed Mr. Dadan that these boarding schools were ready, everything was determined, and administratively they were prepared. However, the realisation did not occur. Finally, I told Mr. Dadan, ’Oh, please, Sir, you can later contact my staff member Mr. Arif Nurahman’,’ said Dudung. Ultimately, Dudung explained that BGN and the boarding schools communicated about the MBG. However, it turned out the schools had not yet prepared the infrastructure, so the kitchens were never realised. ‘Finally, they were in contact. Once they were in contact, I no longer knew anything. When Mr. Dadan came here a few weeks ago, I asked him how it was going? Apparently, the process is still not completed, the kitchen construction has not even been built. I asked Abah Junaidi and the others,’ he stated. This account, Dudung noted, has been linked to the issue that he owns an MBG or SPPG kitchen. Dudung firmly denied reports that he owns an SPPG following the corruption case at BGN being handled by the Attorney General’s Office. ‘It is only because I asked a favour of Mr. Dadan that it eventually sounded as if Mr. Dudung owns a kitchen. If Mr. Dudung owns a kitchen, please verify, I will give a reward later. So, I do not own a kitchen at all,’ he stressed.