New BGN Chief Sudaryono Vows Governance Reform, Urges Staff to Face Problems Head-On

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Sudaryono, the newly appointed head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), immediately gave directions to his entire staff after officially starting work on Wednesday afternoon (22/7/2026).

At his inaugural meeting with the internal team, he emphasised the importance of confronting the problems within BGN, improving governance, and maintaining work morale amid ongoing legal proceedings.

Sudaryono said his first agenda item at the office was to hold a consolidation meeting with BGN’s leadership. Beyond introductions, he also conveyed the views and stance that would guide his leadership of the agency.

“We’re doing a bit of consolidation with the team upstairs, meeting on the ninth floor. Besides introductions, I listened, they listened, or this team listened to the various views. Then finally I could meet face to face with you all,” Sudaryono told journalists at BGN headquarters in Jakarta.

Sudaryono acknowledged that BGN currently faces serious governance problems. He therefore asked all employees not to avoid the problems but to help resolve them.

“We know, and we are aware, that there are problems, and we have to run into the problem. We must be willing to resolve the problems; we must not run away from them,” he asserted.

He also touched on the fact that a number of employees are currently involved in legal proceedings, whether as witnesses, examinees, or suspects. According to him, all such processes must be left entirely to law enforcement officials.

“So I want legal matters to be the business of law enforcement. We fully hand over the investigation, the inquiry and the criminal investigation to the law enforcement officials currently upholding the law, relating to the governance problems we faced previously. In essence, as the new head of the agency, we will support whatever is needed for law enforcement,” he said.

Nevertheless, Sudaryono asked the entire ranks not to become trapped in pessimism because of these problems. He said public service and dedication must continue to run optimally.

“We must not sink into pessimism and then lose our enthusiasm in carrying out this service,” he said.

“This team, this agency, must continue to work optimally. So I want to invite the whole team not to wallow in this pessimism and sadness. We must be optimistic that we can resolve these problems, and we are confident that this programme is good and that its governance can be fixed,” Sudaryono continued.

He also affirmed his commitment to building more transparent, system-based governance. In his view, practices that depend on individuals must be abandoned and replaced with mechanisms that follow the rules.

“What was once dark must become bright. What was perhaps not transparent must become transparent. What was perhaps manual and dependent on certain people must no longer depend on individuals; it must be by system – trust in the system, as I put it,” he said.

“Whereas before everything might follow this person’s instructions or that person’s instructions – no more. We will follow the implementing rules and guidelines, the regulations and systems we build. That is the direction we are heading,” he added.

Sudaryono also opened the door for all stakeholders, including the media, to provide input if they find problems in the field.

“I, together with the whole team, am ready to hear input, ready to hear each piece of information from anywhere and anyone, including from members of the media. If, for example, a kitchen is not being run properly, report it immediately. We will investigate straight away. We want to uphold what is right and protect what is good – we must not let one or two mistakes lead to the assumption that everything else is wrong too,” he said.

At the close of his remarks, Sudaryono also reprimanded his staff over the inadequate facilities at his first press conference, which hampered the delivery of information to the media. He asked for the matter to be fixed promptly, as openness of information is essential.

“I apologise. I was told just now that there was a press conference, but there was no sound system equipment. I think this counts as a reprimand for BGN. Information is important and must be conveyed properly, so the equipment must also be in good condition. So I ask the internal team to provide a proper space so we can communicate well,” he concluded.