Protesters to Storm National Nutrition Agency Office Today Over Free Meal Programme's Financial Burden

The MBG Watch coalition, comprising several civil society organisations including Celios, Unitrend, Lapor Sehat, LBH Jakarta, Transparency International Indonesia, and Bareng Warga, plans to hold a demonstration in front of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) office in the Kebon Sirih area, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, 10 June 2026 at 1:00 p.m. Western Indonesia Time. The action is a protest against the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, which is deemed to be a burden on state finances. Participants in the action also consider the change in the BGN leadership to be insufficient to answer the various problems arising from the programme. A circulating promotional poster contained sharp criticism of the MBG programme: ‘Action to storm the BGN, we are sick of MBG.’ Participants were also encouraged to bring household items such as pans, spatulas, and shopping receipts to use as symbols of protest. ‘If our voices are still not heard, then we will take to the streets. Come on, get louder! Let’s rampage together and storm the BGN,’ the poster stated. To anticipate the demonstration, the police have prepared hundreds of joint personnel. Security involves elements from the Metro Jaya Regional Police, the Central Jakarta Metro Resort Police, and sub-precinct police. ‘214 joint personnel (Regional Police, Resort Police, sub-precincts),’ said Central Jakarta Metro Police Head of Public Relations, First Inspector Erlyn Sumantri, on Wednesday, 10 June 2026. Erlyn added that joint personnel would also be deployed to secure a demonstration by the Indonesian Law Students Movement and several other groups in the Monas area, Central Jakarta. The police have also prepared traffic engineering schemes around the protest location, though implementation will be adjusted based on the situation and the level of vehicle density in the field. Previously, President Prabowo Subianto inaugurated the new BGN leadership at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Monday, 8 June 2026. Nanik S. Deyang was appointed as Head of BGN, accompanied by Agustina Arumsari and Army Major General Trenggono as Deputy Heads. This leadership reshuffle was carried out after the Attorney General’s Office named three former BGN senior officials as suspects in an alleged corruption case. They are former BGN Head Dadan Hindayana and two former deputy heads, Lodewyk Pusung and Sony Sonjaya.