Responding to Komnas HAM, Human Rights Minister Affirms Free Nutritious Meals Programme as Part of Development

Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai has stressed that the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme is part of a development process intended to realise the fulfilment of the people’s basic rights. He made the statement in response to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), which had cited strong indications of human rights violations in the programme’s implementation. Pigai also emphasised that criticism and evaluation of the programme’s execution are normal in a democratic system. However, he argued that assessments regarding human rights violations must be conducted carefully and proportionally to avoid creating a mistaken perception of a programme fundamentally designed to strengthen the fulfilment of basic rights, especially for the most needy groups. “In the human rights context, MBG is still an ongoing process of achieving fulfilment of human rights needs. Moreover, the MBG Programme is a development process in realising the achievement of human rights standards. Therefore, it must not be called a human rights violation. Komnas HAM’s comment is clearly very shallow and does not understand human rights principles,” Pigai asserted in a press statement on Tuesday. “But that an evaluative assessment is needed, yes. Do not suddenly call it a human rights violation. You do not understand human rights principles if you speak carelessly like that,” he added. Pigai explained that the MBG programme, designed to improve the nutritional quality of the community, particularly for vulnerable groups, is part of the state’s effort to fulfil its human rights obligations. This is in line with efforts to realise human rights as part of a sustainable global agenda aimed at guaranteeing dignity, equality, freedom, and the fulfilment of basic needs for all citizens without discrimination. “In the international framework, countries are encouraged to strengthen public protection systems through the provision of health services, education, food, and various other basic needs as part of the responsibility for fulfilling human rights,” he stated. According to him, various international human rights instruments also place the rights to food, health, and education as an important part of rights-based development. Programmes aimed at expanding public access to these basic needs, including MBG, are in line with global standards continuously developed by various international institutions, including human rights mechanisms under the United Nations. He added that the modern human rights framework is closely linked to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda. “In this context, a development approach that prioritises social equality, poverty reduction, and the empowerment of vulnerable groups is an important part of the strategy for fulfilling human rights,” the Human Rights Minister explained. He therefore assessed that MBG is precisely one of the instruments to accelerate the achievement of these goals through improving public nutrition and health quality. “The MBG programme deliberately focuses on those who are most left behind first, striving towards empowerment and inclusivity for young people and marginalised groups,” he added. Previously, Komnas HAM had presented the results of its monitoring and assessment of the MBG programme’s implementation, stating there were strong indications of human rights violations in its governance. Komnas HAM highlighted several aspects, including the scope of beneficiaries being too broad, potentially reducing targeting accuracy, the need to strengthen supervision and transparency, optimise inter-agency coordination, improve nutritional quality standards, and protect the rights of workers involved in the programme’s execution. Based on these initial findings, Komnas HAM recommended a comprehensive evaluation of MBG governance to make its implementation more effective and aligned with human rights principles.