Prabowo Warns MBG Partners: Cutting Chicken into More Than 14 Pieces is a 'Sin'

President Prabowo Subianto demonstrated his concern regarding food portion sizes during a consolidation meeting for the MBG programme at the Sentul International Convention Centre (SICC), Bogor, West Java, on Wednesday. The event was attended by 12,000 mobilisers and MBG partners.

During the session, two containers of fried chicken were presented: one containing chicken cut into 8 pieces, and another cut into 14 pieces. Inviting ten representatives from partner organisations onto the stage, Prabowo showcased the chicken cut into 14 pieces to illustrate the required standard.

“Regarding the chicken issue, bring the chicken up here. I am asking ten partner representatives to come up, ten people. So, if it is cut into 14, it is this size; if it is this small, how many pieces would there be? Could it be 18 or 22 pieces?” said Prabowo.

Prabowo warned that a single chicken must not be cut into more than 14 pieces, stating that failure to do so would disappoint the children of Indonesia. “If you cut it into more than 14, it is a sin! A sin! Millions of Indonesian children will be disappointed,” he asserted.

Prabowo’s statement drew reactions from the partner representatives, with some noting that they currently cut chicken into only 10 to 12 pieces. “It is 10 or 12 pieces, Sir. I do 10, Sir; a large portion is 10,” responded one representative.

In response, Prabowo instructed the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu’ti, to instruct school principals to report on the quality of the chicken meals received through the MBG programme. He suggested that, if necessary, schools should weigh and photograph the chicken portions. “Is that clear? Later, I will ask the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education to have principals, teachers, and students report whether the chicken is small or large. If necessary, they should randomly photograph and weigh it,” Prabowo concluded.