House Commission IX Urges New BGN Head to Resolve Free Nutritious Meal Programme Issues

Deputy Chairman of House Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), Charles Honoris, has respected the resignation of Nanik Sudaryati Deyang as Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) on health grounds. Charles also offered a number of notes regarding Nanik’s successor.

“Firstly, I respect Ibu Nanik’s decision to resign for health reasons. I pray that she is granted smooth treatment and a swift recovery,” Charles told journalists on Wednesday (22/7/2026).

Charles hopes the change of leadership at BGN will also mark a step towards comprehensive improvement of the government’s strategic programme. He wants the new BGN leadership to bring positive policies.

“However, the leadership change must not be seen merely as a change of figure. Far more important is the momentum to carry out a comprehensive improvement of the governance of the Free Nutritious Meal programme,” he said.

Charles went on to explain a number of considerations for the BGN leader replacing Nanik. He touched on cases of mass poisoning, governance and conflicts of interest.

“We have seen various problems in the implementation of MBG, from mass poisoning cases and governance issues to alleged conflicts of interest,” Charles said.

“Therefore, whoever leads BGN going forward must be brave enough to conduct an evaluation and redesign the programme so that it is better targeted, safer, more accountable, and in line with the state’s fiscal capacity,” he added.

Charles said Commission IX of the DPR will continue to oversee BGN’s performance. He hopes the MBG programme delivers real benefits to the people.

“We in Commission IX of the DPR will certainly continue to carry out our oversight function to ensure this leadership change marks the beginning of improvement, not merely a change of post. The most important thing is not only who leads, but whether the people truly benefit from this programme safely, effectively and sustainably,” he said.

Earlier, Nanik S Deyang resigned from her post as Head of the National Nutrition Agency. Her resignation is also intended to allow her to undergo treatment for heart disease.

“Today, 22 July 2026, Ibu Nanik Deyang bade farewell to President Prabowo to undergo heart treatment. She has also resigned as Head of the National Nutrition Agency,” said Presidential Special Assistant for Communication and Policy, Dirgayuza Setiawan, on Instagram on Wednesday (22/7).