Prasetyo: President Prabowo Requests Nanik to Join BGN Supervisory Board

Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi confirmed that former National Nutrition Agency (BGN) head Nanik has been asked by President Prabowo Subianto to join the agency’s supervisory board. “Yes, that was a request, or an appeal, from the President because her experience is still considered valuable to help the BGN,” Prasetyo said when met at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Thursday. Regarding the legal basis for establishing a BGN supervisory board, Prasetyo stated that his office is still reviewing the need for regulatory updates. This is because Presidential Regulation Number 83 of 2024 concerning the BGN, which regulates the organisational structure and working procedures, does not explicitly include the nomenclature of a ‘supervisory board’. The regulation only provides for a ‘steering committee’. “We will see later. Actually, the meaning could be the same, whether it is a steering committee or a supervisory board in terms of carrying out its duties,” he said. According to Prasetyo, the government does not want to get caught up in the difference in terms between ‘steering’ and ‘supervisory’. “What matters is the function. If the existing nomenclature in the presidential regulation is a steering committee and its duties align with what we intend, then there is no problem,” he added. Nanik resigned as Head of BGN. Her resignation was confirmed by Presidential Special Staff for Communication and Policy, Dirgayuza Setiawan, on Wednesday morning. In a statement posted on her social media, Nanik explained that her resignation was related to the need for heart treatment abroad. However, she stated she was asked to continue overseeing the BGN. “The President will likely form a supervisory board where I am asked to become its chairperson,” Nanik wrote. Following Nanik’s resignation, President Prabowo appointed Sudaryono as the new Head of BGN on Wednesday afternoon. Sudaryono stated he is open to the plan to form a BGN supervisory board to help improve governance. “Having a supervisory board is better in my opinion, supplemented by private sector supervisors. If there are any irregularities, they can be reported. So, I am open to all initiatives,” he said in a confirmed statement in Jakarta on Wednesday.