Prabowo Unbothered if Children of the Wealthy Reject Free Nutritious Meals: No Compulsion!

President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, has once again affirmed the government’s commitment to equitable distribution of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme throughout Indonesia.

Nevertheless, he stated that children from well-off families or those of the wealthy are not compelled to accept MBG. Prabowo said he has no issue if children of the rich reject MBG.

This was conveyed by Prabowo during his inspection of the Merah Putih Leato Selatan Fishing Village. Initially, he inquired whether schools in Gorontalo had already implemented MBG.

“How about in Gorontalo? Has MBG reached the schools yet?” Prabowo asked, as quoted on Monday, 11 May 2026.

Upon hearing this, the fishermen admitted that their children had not yet received MBG. Prabowo then instructed his subordinates to survey schools that have not yet received MBG.

“Are there any that haven’t? Are there any that haven’t? Yes, note down those that haven’t and we’ll address them immediately,” he said.

Prabowo targets all schools that feel the need and require it to receive MBG.

“We’ll get to it immediately; this year, all schools that feel they need it will receive MBG entirely, and those that don’t need it, that’s fine, right?” Prabowo stated.

Furthermore, Prabowo emphasised that he has no problem if there are students from wealthy families who feel they do not need MBG from the government. Prabowo noted that the MBG programme is implemented without any element of coercion.

“If children of the rich don’t need it, that’s okay, right? No compulsion, but we want our children to be strong, we want our children to be enthusiastic, we want our children to be smart, we want our children to be diligent in studying, correct?” he said.