Prabowo Still Baffled MBG Programme Considered a Waste of State Funds

President Prabowo Subianto has admitted he remains baffled by parties who criticise the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme as a waste of state funds. He conveyed this during a briefing at a plenary cabinet meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday afternoon. Prabowo expressed astonishment at the criticism directed at his good intentions to feed Indonesian children. “I am attacked because I want to provide nutritious food for Indonesian children, to feed Indonesian children, pregnant women, and the elderly, and it is considered wasteful,” Prabowo said. He argued the criticism is contradictory, given that budget leakages have occurred over three decades without similar outcry. “But thousands of trillions that evaporated, that left the earth of Indonesia every year for 34 years, there were no comments, no experts protested, no investigations,” he added. The plenary cabinet meeting saw the president and his cabinet members dressed uniformly in white shirts. Special Presidential Adviser on Communication Hasan Nasbi stated the meeting discussed the president’s directives regarding the acceleration of government programmes.