Minister Pigai Requests Blacklisting of Problematic SPPG Owner in Surabaya

Human Rights Minister (HAM) Natalius Pigai has proposed that the owner or manager of a problematic Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG) be added to a blacklist. This follows a mass poisoning incident that affected around 200 students after consuming free nutritious meal (MBG) menus from the Tembok Dukuh SPPG in Surabaya, East Java. “If necessary, blacklist them. The blacklist is not for the SPPG itself, remember. If I were the head of BGN, I would blacklist the manager, the person. Because this is man-made. This is a person’s mistake,” said Pigai while visiting the victims at the Indonesian Midwives Association Maternity Hospital (RSIA IBI) in Surabaya on Wednesday (13/5). Pigai assessed that the incident was purely caused by human error. According to him, the poisoning was due to the owner’s unprofessionalism in managing the kitchen workload. “It’s not the SPPG’s fault, but the fault of the person managing it. The owner’s fault. So the owner should be blacklisted,” he said. Pigai found facts that the Tembok Dukuh SPPG serves up to 13 schools in the Surabaya area. He considered this ratio unreasonable and exceeding the ideal capacity, thus triggering amateur and undisciplined management. “I think one kitchen managing 13 schools is too many. So in its management, it’s amateurish, unprofessional, not meticulous, not thorough, not agile, and not disciplined,” stated Pigai. He also asked the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to immediately replace the kitchen manager with a more competent party to guarantee the safety and well-being of the students. “The kitchen responsible for managing the provision of MBG to those 13 schools must be replaced and stopped with a more professional one,” he said. Previously, around 200 students and teachers from 12 schools in Tembok Dukuh Ward, Bubutan Subdistrict, Surabaya City, East Java, were suspected of mass poisoning after eating free nutritious meal (MBG) menus on Monday (11/5). Of that number, most students have been allowed to go home. Meanwhile, seven patients until Wednesday (13/5) are still undergoing treatment and observation at the Indonesian Midwives Association Maternity Hospital (RSIA IBI) Surabaya.