MBG Viewed as 'Giant' Programme
Jakarta, VIVA – Chairman of Netra Bakti Indonesia (NBI), HRM Khalilur R Abdullah Sahlawiy, also known as Gus Lilur, has described the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme as one of the most noble initiatives under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration. However, he highlighted serious threats due to poor implementation of the MBG programme.
MBG, he said, should embody the nation’s compassion towards Indonesian children, particularly the poor students. However, when meal budgets are slashed, unsuitable kitchens continue operating, and third parties enter solely for profit, the programme—which should have been a great legacy for the President—risks becoming a moral and political burden.
Therefore, Gus Lilur stated that MBG must be rescued from ‘budget thieves’ undermining the programme’s ideals.
‘MBG is a noble programme. I support it. But if budget thieves interfere along the way, it will be ruined. Poor children should receive adequate, healthy, and palatable meals—not food whose budget is slashed, embezzled, before reaching their plates,’ Gus Lilur said in a written statement on Thursday, 28 May 2026.
He added that MBG kitchens must be managed and supervised properly according to standard operating procedures (SOPs), as MBG is one of President Prabowo’s flagship programmes.
‘The problem is not MBG itself, but its implementation. The President has grand intentions to feed the nation’s children, but if kitchens are run carelessly, menus are haphazard, hygiene is poor, and individuals seek kickbacks, the President’s vision will be undermined by profit-seekers,’ he said.
Gus Lilur stressed that the SPPG structure has technical specifications, including the need for nutritionists, accountants, and volunteers to produce nutritious meals.
Therefore, if all regulations are properly followed, SPPG or MBG kitchens should serve as effective public service instruments.
‘SPPG has guidelines. Nutritionists, accountants, and volunteers each have their roles and responsibilities. But if fee-collecting, extortion, opaque licensing, or food value cuts occur around it, children become the victims,’ he said.