Responding to Student Protests, Palace Insists Free Nutritious Meal Programme Will Not Stop
The government has emphasised that it will not halt the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) project. The Government Communication Agency (Bakom) issued this stance in response to demands made by students during the ‘Towards a Bankrupt Indonesia’ demonstrations held this week.
The Head of Bakom, Muhammad Qodari, stated that the MBG is a priority programme for President Prabowo Subianto. “For that reason, the government, in this case the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), will continue to implement the MBG programme while continuously evaluating and improving its governance,” Qodari said in a written statement on Sunday, 14 June 2026.
According to Qodari, various challenges arising during the implementation of a government programme are natural. “Moving from a single idea to an operational programme requires implementation. There will certainly be variations and problems. Only the dead have no problems. As long as we are alive, there will be problems,” he remarked.
Nevertheless, he noted that the obstacles encountered should not serve as a reason to stop a beneficial programme. “But these problems do not mean we stop. They do not mean we retreat. We evaluate,” Qodari added.
Currently, he noted that the BGN has taken steps to improve the management of the MBG project. One such measure includes the temporary suspension of the construction of MBG kitchens as part of a restructuring effort.
Qodari emphasised that this temporary suspension does not apply to MBG services that are already operational. “Why shouldn’t we stop? Because the beneficiaries are real in the field. There are pregnant women. Can their pregnancy just stop? There are breastfeeding mothers. Are their babies told to stop breastfeeding? Are toddlers told to stop eating? Are school children no longer allowed to eat?” he argued.
Previously, students from various universities across Indonesia held protests last Friday and Saturday. In Jakarta, students organised an action titled ‘Towards a Bankrupt Indonesia’, one of whose demands was the cessation of the free nutritious meal project.
Additionally, they called on the government to stop the waste of the State Budget (APBN), reduce fuel and basic commodity prices, and halt the construction of the Red and White Village Cooperatives. Students also demanded that the military return to the barracks. Similar demands were echoed in protests held in Solo, Semarang, and Yogyakarta.