Prabowo Jokes MBG Acronym Stands for 'Mas Bahlil Ganteng'

President Prabowo Subianto joked that the acronym MBG could stand for ‘Mas Bahlil Ganteng’ (Brother Bahlil is Handsome). He made the remark while delivering a speech at the peak celebration of the 28th anniversary of the National Awakening Party (PKB) at the Jakarta Convention Centre on Thursday evening. The official MBG acronym refers to Prabowo’s flagship free nutritious meal programme. The quip was directed at Golkar Party Chairman Bahlil Lahadalia, who was in attendance. After greeting Bahlil, Prabowo proceeded to acknowledge other dignitaries present, including leaders of other political parties and Islamic clerics. The ‘Mas Bahlil Ganteng’ song had previously gone viral on TikTok, often used as a backdrop for various creative content. The trend gained further traction after content creator and influencer Sania Leonardo posted a reaction video. The song was first popularised by the account @/vokaliz_netizen and is believed to have been created using artificial intelligence rather than a human composer. Golkar Party Secretary General Muhammad Sarmuji responded positively to the viral song, viewing it as a form of netizen creativity that appreciates Bahlil Lahadalia’s hard work as Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources. He noted that Bahlil had successfully secured fuel stocks amid global energy supply uncertainty and kept subsidised fuel prices stable. Sarmuji stated that the party is relaxed about the trend and encouraged the public to enjoy the song without excessive political pretension.