Gibran Volunteers Visit Solo, Reveal Jokowi's Message on Calls to Halt Free Nutritious Meals Programme

Relawan Militan Gibran Nusantara (MGN) has responded to demonstrations held in various regions in recent days, which among other demands called for the Prabowo Subianto government to halt the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. MGN Chairman Andi Azwan said he discussed the demands with the seventh President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, during a visit to his residence in Sumber, Solo, Central Java, on Monday (15/6). “Yes, we had a discussion about that,” Andi said after meeting Jokowi. Andi stated that Jokowi asked the volunteers to fully support the programmes of the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka government. “Mr Jokowi advised us to continue helping to make the programmes a success, both from the Prabowo-Gibran government, the MBG and other programmes,” Andi said after meeting Jokowi. According to Andi, many negative narratives about the Prabowo-Gibran government’s programmes are currently circulating in society. Jokowi asked the volunteers to correct these misleading reports. “He advised us to fight hoaxes and misguided narratives built by parties who do not like government programmes that directly touch the community,” he said. Andi acknowledged the need for a comprehensive evaluation of the MBG programme. He did not deny that the management of MBG has so far lacked transparency, opening up opportunities for corruption. “Yes, that is what needs to be evaluated,” he said. However, he firmly stated that MGN volunteers do not agree with halting the MBG programme, especially since it already involves many parties from various levels of society. “Stopping MBG requires many studies, it cannot be done arbitrarily,” he said. Furthermore, he noted that the government itself is currently evaluating the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) as the executor of MBG. The government is also reorganising the programme’s implementation. “For example, the previous overly ambitious rollout is being reorganised more strictly, identifying which regions really need acceleration, such as prioritising the 3T regions,” he said. He claimed that Jokowi appreciated the demonstrations held by the public in recent days, asserting that citizens have the right to voice their aspirations as a form of correction to government policy. Nevertheless, he cautioned the public to anticipate the possibility of political interests hijacking the demonstrations. “Do not let them get caught up in whirlpools with malicious intentions from political elites, for example, or from foreign powers who want to divide us,” he said.