Experts deem MBG programme constitutional but call for governance improvements

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Expert witnesses presented by the House of Representatives (DPR) in a judicial review hearing of Law Number 17 of 2025 on the 2026 State Budget (APBN) at the Constitutional Court stated that the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme is constitutional, but its execution needs rectification through improved governance. The testimony was delivered by Professor Cecep Darmawan, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences Education at the Indonesia University of Education (UPI), and Oce Madril, a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), during the session on Tuesday. Cecep Darmawan said it is too early to conclude that the MBG programme should be halted. According to him, the various issues emerging in the implementation of MBG actually indicate the need for comprehensive governance improvements. The programme’s success is determined not only by the size of the budget, but also by the quality of its management. He cautioned that the MBG programme must not become a space for rent-seeking practices, budget hijacking, or criminal acts of corruption that harm students and the state. He stated that the allocation of the MBG budget must be proportional and must not hinder the fulfilment of other essential educational needs, such as teacher welfare, improving the competence of educators and education personnel, enhancing learning quality, and providing educational facilities and infrastructure. ‘The achievement of national education standards must remain a top priority in the distribution of the national education budget,’ he said. Furthermore, he encouraged the involvement of various stakeholders in the programme’s governance, ranging from schools, school committees, and parents to local governments and the business sector through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes. ‘So that this programme does not rely entirely on the state budget,’ he added. Meanwhile, Oce Madril presented his views from a constitutional perspective. ‘The state budget is drafted through legislative procedures and has fulfilled the mandatory spending requirement of 20 percent for education, making it a constitutional state budget,’ said Oce. According to him, the use of the education budget for MBG remains within constitutional corridors as long as it is allocated appropriately to students, educators, and education personnel and supports improving the nutrition of the beneficiary groups. ‘Thus, the State Budget Law regulating such an allocation does not violate the mandatory spending provisions as mandated by Article 31 paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution,’ he stated. The hearing will be continued on Wednesday (1/7) to hear the final expert testimonies from the DPR and the government.