Responding to Sharp Public Criticism, Vice President Gibran Vows to Overhaul Free Nutritious Meals Programme

The Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, one of the government’s priority initiatives, continues to face public scrutiny due to corruption cases and food poisoning incidents. In addition to the MBG, the public has also criticised the Red and White Village Cooperative (KDMP) for its perceived haphazard implementation and failure to target the intended recipients.

Responding to the surge in public criticism, the Vice President has promised a thorough reform of the governance of these two priority programmes.

“The government is committed to improving the governance of the MBG and KDMP to ensure that every rupiah truly benefits the community and that programme execution can be more precisely targeted, more effective, more efficient, and free from corrupt practices,” stated Vice President Gibran in a written statement on Wednesday (17/6).

“These steps are essential to maintain public trust and enhance the government’s fiscal capacity, thereby increasing market confidence in the national economy.”

Previously, Vice President Gibran also met with student representatives who held demonstrations at several locations in Jakarta on Monday (15/6) afternoon. One of the primary demands of the protesters was for the government to halt the waste of the State Budget (APBN) and to evaluate populist programmes.

According to Gibran, the government remains open to criticism and feedback provided in an orderly and constructive manner, and all aspirations expressed will serve as material for government evaluation.