Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo Bans Civil Servants From Flaunting Wealth and Demeaning the MBG Programme
Jakarta, VIVA – Minister of Public Works (PU) Dody Hanggodo emphasised a ban on civil servants (ASN) within his ministry from displaying a luxurious lifestyle, or ‘flexing’, on social media. The ban was announced directly in front of the Ministry of PU’s staff. Dody argued that displaying wealth is inappropriate for ASN because all income received comes from the people’s money through taxes. He said that the current economic conditions of society have not fully recovered, so the act of flaunting wealth could hurt public feelings. ‘Don’t bother with flexing, except if the people and the Indonesian nation are 90 percent plus already in the upper-middle classes,’ Dody said at a media briefing in Jakarta, Friday, 22 May 2026.
He stated that ASN should have empathy for the public facing economic pressures. Officials and government staff are asked to guard their behaviour, including when using social media.
On that occasion, Dody also revealed that he had summoned several ASN from the Ministry of PU who were studying abroad. The summons related to alleged conduct not reflecting the ethics of the state apparatus. According to Dody, every ASN must understand their position as public servants. He even stressed that staff who want to freely flaunt a luxurious lifestyle are welcome to leave the ASN status. ‘If you want to flex, you can, but don’t be ASN. I’m the one who prohibits it,’ he asserted.
Besides highlighting employees’ lifestyles, Dody reminded his ranks not to belittle or insult the government’s priority programmes, including Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG), which is one of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship agendas. ‘Do not belittle the government’s priority programmes! Unless you guys understand in detail what the President’s MBG is about,’ he said.
He noted that some staff, especially younger generations, do not understand the long-term goals of the programme. He said MBG is not only a food aid programme, but part of the government’s broader strategy to prepare Indonesia’s human resource quality for 2045.