Prabowo: Corruptors of the Free Nutritious Meal Program Are 'Barbaric', Unworthy of Respect

President Prabowo Subianto has reaffirmed his commitment to continuing the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme as an effort to address nutrition and stunting problems among Indonesian children. However, he stressed that the programme must be continuously improved and implemented efficiently.

According to him, meeting nutritional needs is one of the fundamental matters that the government must attend to. Children should not have to study while hungry.

“We are starting from the most basic thing, namely nutrition. None of our children should study in a state of hunger. No child can learn well if he or she is hungry,” Prabowo said in his address at the annual MPR session on Friday (14/8/2026).

He acknowledged that some members of the public may never have seen or experienced the condition of children who do not get food in the morning. However, according to Prabowo, this condition remains a reality faced by some Indonesian children.

“Perhaps some of us will never see or feel what it is like for children who do not eat in the morning. But that is the reality we encounter, and we are implementing this MBG programme to address it, to tackle the stunting still experienced by our children in some areas, where the rate is as high as 25 percent of our children,” he said.

Prabowo noted that around one in four Indonesian children suffers from stunting. This condition, he said, can affect the development of brain cells, muscles and bones.

“One in four Indonesian children experiences stunting. Brain cells do not develop properly, muscle cells do not develop properly, bone cells do not develop properly, ladies and gentlemen,” he said.

According to Prabowo, the impact of stunting can even affect a person’s ability to perform physical work later in life.

“To become a port labourer, he may not be able to manage it. To become a farmer, even a farm labourer, he may also not be able to manage it,” he said.