Qodari Affirms Prabowo's Free Nutritious Meal Programme as a People's Mandate

Head of the Government Communication Body (Bakom RI), Muhammad Qodari, has affirmed that the government under President Prabowo Subianto is fully committed to continuing the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. According to him, the programme is a direct mandate given by the people through the democratic process. Qodari explained that long before taking office, Prabowo Subianto had presented a clear vision and mission to the public, with MBG as one of the pillars of his priority programmes. Prabowo’s victory in the presidential election is seen as a form of approval and a political contract between the leader and his people. “The MBG programme cannot simply be asked to stop. Because it is part of Pak Prabowo’s vision and political contract. President Prabowo was elected because of the work programmes he would implement, so the programme cannot be terminated,” Qodari said in an official statement on Wednesday (17/6). Furthermore, Qodari emphasised that the MBG policy has a noble purpose as a concrete solution to the nutritional problems still haunting children and toddlers in Indonesia. The programme is designed to ensure that the growth and development of the younger generation is not disrupted by nutritional issues. While acknowledging various challenges in implementation on the ground, Qodari stated that technical obstacles should not be a reason to stop a programme that has great benefits for the wider community. The government continues to open space for discussion and receive input from the public to improve the governance and implementation of the MBG programme so that it is better targeted. In addition to focusing on nutritional fulfilment, Qodari mentioned that President Prabowo’s administration is also carrying out various other national transformation strategies. Qodari concluded his statement by asking the public to give President Prabowo the opportunity to complete all the work programmes planned during his term of office. “When Pak Prabowo took office, he tried to implement that solution. So, give him the opportunity to carry it out,” he concluded.