Human Rights Minister Responds to Komnas HAM Review on Free Nutritious Meal Programme
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai has responded to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) study regarding the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, which suggested that its planning and implementation carry human rights risks.
Pigai assessed that it is premature to allege human rights violations in a programme that is still in progress.
“According to international standards, something that is in the process of development or the process of meeting needs should not be judged as a perpetrator of human rights violations,” he said when met after a working meeting at the DPR Building, Jakarta, on Wednesday.
According to him, the assessment of human rights violations in a programme should be conducted once its development has concluded.
“However, during the various stages, if there are violations, they should be evaluated,” he added.
He believes that evaluation is essential for the consolidation and strengthening of the programme to ensure it achieves maximum targets.
“Therefore, Komnas HAM should state whether there are criminal violations, management errors, misleading information, mismanagement, or legal aspects being violated,” he said.
Pigai did not deny the incidents of student food poisoning during the implementation of the MBG programme. However, he argued that such incidents are more appropriately viewed from a criminal perspective rather than as human rights violations.
“That is a matter of criminal enforcement, as this (MBG) is still in the development phase. That is why I say Komnas HAM does not understand human rights principles. Many do not understand,” he remarked.
Previously, Komnas HAM urged for strengthened supervision of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) within the MBG programme, including through regulatory evaluation and the enhancement of food safety standards.
In a press conference on Monday (15/6), Komnas HAM Commissioner for Research and Study, Uli Parulian Sihombing, stated that the results of studies and monitoring in several regions indicated a need for improvements in the programme’s implementation.
Komnas HAM, among other things, recommended that every SPPG possess a Hygiene and Sanitation Suitability Certificate (SLHS), a Wastewater Treatment Plant (IPAL), and food safety certification from the start of operations.
Additionally, Komnas HAM recommended accelerating the development of SPPGs in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost regions, as well as in areas with a high risk of stunting, including the Indonesia-Malaysia border area in Sanggau Regency, West Kalimantan.