UI Student Body Criticises Qodari's Reasoning on Free Nutritious Meals: Completely Wrong

The University of Indonesia’s Student Executive Board (BEM UI) has responded to remarks by Head of the Government Communication Body (Bakom) M Qodari, who stated the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme cannot be stopped. BEM UI’s Socio-Political Coordinator, Hafidz Haernanda, criticised Qodari’s reasoning that the government has no grounds to halt MBG. He highlighted two of Qodari’s arguments on the matter. “First, a political promise. Second, because MBG already has beneficiaries,” Hafidz said during the Head to Head with Elvira programme on CNN Indonesia TV on Wednesday (17/6) evening. Regarding the political promise aspect, Hafidz noted that Indonesia is a democratic country. He then turned the question back on Qodari, asking which carries more weight: the voice of the people or Prabowo’s political promise when he was a presidential candidate. On the second aspect concerning MBG’s existing beneficiaries, Hafidz stated that MBG is a populist programme, so it is inevitable that many would benefit from it. “The logic is, is it true that a policy which, quote-on-quote, already has beneficiaries cannot be stopped? Clearly, that is completely wrong,” he asserted. He also stressed that MBG and the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih (Red and White Village Cooperatives) must not end up stripping away other fundamental rights of citizens. Previously, Qodari stated there is no room for negotiation to stop the MBG programme. He considers MBG a political contract made by President Prabowo Subianto during the campaign and before he was elected in the 2024 General Election. Qodari categorised the disagreement from various parties towards the MBG programme into two groups: political and technocratic. In the political category, he emphasised there is no room to halt the MBG programme. He reminded those who reject MBG not to look only at themselves, but at the 90 million other citizens who need it and voted for Prabowo. Therefore, Qodari stated that MBG is a promise that must be fulfilled. “At that point, I want to provide context, that the so-called MBG cannot simply be asked to stop. Because it is the vision, mission, and political contract of Mr Prabowo,” Qodari said in his interview on the Inside Story With Diana Valencia programme on CNN Indonesia TV, Tuesday (16/6). MBG and the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih are known to be flagship programmes of the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka administration, in line with political promises made during the 2024 Presidential Election. Other flagship programmes include those in the education sector, namely Sekolah Rakyat (People’s Schools) and Sekolah Garuda (Garuda Schools).