Hoax! Finance Minister Purbaya Does Not Plan to Replace Nutritious Meal Programme with Free Schooling
Jakarta – A social media post on Facebook has claimed that Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa wanted to replace the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (Makan Bergizi Gratis, MBG) with a free schooling programme.
The post circulated as a screenshot of an article accompanied by a photograph of Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa with Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.
The narrative in the post claimed that Purbaya wanted to replace the MBG programme, but Luhut rejected the proposal. The post also contained commentary comparing the benefits of the MBG programme with free schooling for the public.
However, is Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa actually planning to replace the MBG programme with free schooling?
Explanation:
Based on investigation, no information was found from official government sources or credible media reporting stating that Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa planned to replace the Free Nutritious Meal Programme with a free schooling programme.
To date, the MBG programme continues to operate across various regions and has provided benefits to many schoolchildren.
This fact demonstrates that the programme has not been discontinued or replaced with other policies as claimed in the social media post.
Previously, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa explained that the government would only make budget adjustments to the Free Nutritious Meal Programme regarding non-productive spending. The government would not reduce the budget for food provision within the programme.
“We are not cutting the MBG budget, but we are ensuring that spending is truly effective and efficient,” he said, citing ANTARA.
Purbaya also stated that the government was considering reallocating portions of the state budget to mitigate the impact of rising global oil prices.
Under this scheme, the government could shift funding from programmes with lower levels of urgency.
Therefore, the claim that Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa replaced the Free Nutritious Meal Programme with free schooling is false information, or a hoax.