House Commission XIII: Statement that MBG Violates Human Rights is Inaccurate!

The Deputy Chairman of Commission XIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Sugiat Santoso, has responded to statements from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) suggesting there are indications of human rights violations within the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme.

He assessed that such statements are inaccurate. According to him, the MBG programme is instead a tangible form of fulfilling the basic rights of the community, which are integral to human rights, particularly economic and social rights.

“The statement by Komnas HAM that human rights violations have occurred in the implementation of the MBG programme is contradictory when viewed from a human rights perspective,” Sugiat stated in his remarks on Wednesday, 17 June 2026.

Sugiat explained that the MBG programme is a concrete manifestation of fulfilling human rights, encompassing the right to sufficient food, the right to be free from hunger, the right to improve one’s standard of living, the right to meet basic needs, the right to grow and develop properly, and the right to an improved quality of life.

He noted that the fulfilment of the right to food and the right to be free from hunger cannot be optimally realised without state involvement. Therefore, he deemed it inappropriate to conclude that the implementation of the MBG programme constitutes a human rights violation.

Nevertheless, he did not deny that the implementation of the MBG programme still has several shortcomings that need to be addressed. However, issues regarding governance and deviations in implementation cannot automatically be categorised as human rights violations.

“The fact that the governance of the MBG programme is not yet perfect, that deviations occur, and that improvements are needed, does not justify the conclusion that human rights violations have taken place,” he said.

According to him, assessments regarding human rights violations should be conducted through monitoring functions involving thorough investigation and examination processes of an event.

“Programmes such as the MBG in various countries represent the state’s obligation to endeavour to fulfil the right to food for its citizens; it is certainly not a violation of human rights,” Sugiat concluded.