Said Abdullah: Parliament Approves Free Nutritious Meal Programme Budget, Governance Needs Improvement
The Head of the House of Representatives’ Budget Commission (Banggar), Said Abdullah, has responded to a statement by Cabinet Secretary (Seskab) Teddy Indra Wijaya regarding the controversy surrounding funding for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, which is sourced from the education budget.
Said emphasised that all parliamentary factions have unanimously approved the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN) for 2025 and 2026, including budget allocation for the MBG programme.
“I concur with what Cabinet Secretary Teddy has conveyed, that the MBG budget has been discussed and jointly approved by the government and Parliament since 2025 and 2026, as outlined in the APBN. All factions unanimously approved the APBN for 2025 and 2026, which includes budgeting for MBG,” Said stated in an official statement received by Kompas.com on Saturday, 28 February 2026.
The PDI Struggle politician stated that he and all members of Parliament bear responsibility for the decision to approve the budget. He reaffirmed that he will not deviate from his commitment to the MBG budget that has been ratified through the 2026 APBN.
Said believes the MBG programme has a noble purpose of improving the nutrition of Indonesian children. Parliament’s approval of the APBN, according to him, aligns with support for President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship programme.
“This programme is intended as a nutritional improvement intervention for children and we support this. If we did not support it, it would not be possible for us to approve it in the APBN,” he said.
Although concurring with Cabinet Secretary Teddy’s statement that the MBG budget from the education sector has been jointly approved by Parliament and the government, Said offered critical remarks regarding the programme’s governance aspects.
“I reiterate, we concur with what Cabinet Secretary Teddy has conveyed, that the MBG budget has been jointly approved by the government and Parliament. However, we note that what requires attention for MBG is its governance. The governance of MBG needs to be improved so that what President Prabowo intended as a nutritional intervention can be achieved,” he said.