Golkar Secretary-General Warns Cadres Against Misusing Free Nutritious Meal Programme

Golkar Party’s Secretary-General Muhammad Sarmuji has responded to a circular letter from PDI-P instructing its cadres not to exploit the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. Sarmuji stated that to his knowledge, no Golkar cadres have misused the programme for personal benefit.

“As far as I know, Golkar has nobody exploiting MBG. Even if one or two have a Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG - nutrition service unit), their purpose is to make this programme successful according to established standards,” Sarmuji told reporters on Saturday, 28 February 2026.

“I myself do not own an SPPG, but I hope whoever owns one can help this programme succeed,” he added.

Sarmuji explained that ownership of SPPG units by cadres is a personal initiative and does not require reporting to the party. He rejected the notion that all matters must be reported to party leadership.

“There’s no need (to report). It’s not as if everything must be reported to the party. That’s individual initiative. We are not scheming,” he said.

However, Sarmuji cautioned against any deviation by cadres in programme implementation, emphasising the importance of maintaining the integrity of a programme targeting student nutritional needs. “But if anyone participates, they must not deviate or take advantage beyond their legitimate entitlement to properly distribute resources to students,” he stated.

“There must be no Golkar cadre with an SPPG who takes advantage beyond their rights,” he added.

Previously, PDI-P issued instructions to all cadres not to exploit the Free Nutritious Meal programme for personal or group interests, warning of strict action against violators. This was contained in a circular letter dated 24 February 2026, received on Thursday, 26 February, and signed by PDI-P Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto and DPP Chairman Komarudin Watubun.

In the letter, PDI-P’s DPP emphasised that the MBG programme is financed from the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN), including through reallocation of the national education budget sourced from public taxation. The party stressed that education budgets are fundamentally intended for national educational interests and the enlightenment of the nation, including teacher salaries and allowances, teacher capacity and quality improvement, and provision of educational infrastructure.