Women's Alliance to Stage Protest Against Free Nutritious Meals Programme Tomorrow

The Indonesian Women’s Alliance will hold a demonstration in front of the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, 18 June 2026. Alliance representative Mutiara Ika Pratiwi stated that the action will be attended by at least 90 women’s organisations that are members of the alliance.

She said that her side is still consolidating the masses. However, the National Chair of Perempuan Mahardhika predicts this demonstration will be attended by at least more than a hundred women from various economic strata and occupational backgrounds.

‘This signifies that the Indonesian Women’s Alliance’s action is a convergence of public anxiety over the economic and political crises the country is experiencing,’ Mutiara said during an Action Preparation Press Conference at the LBH Jakarta office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, 17 June 2026.

The action agenda will begin with a long march from the Dukuh Atas area in Central Jakarta to the front of the State Palace on Jalan Merdeka. During the action, participants will carry kitchen utensils and wear pink clothing as a symbol that the people are finding it increasingly difficult to meet their basic needs.

In their demands, the Alliance will voice three main points. These include urging President Prabowo Subianto to lower fuel prices, halt the free nutritious meals (MBG) project, and create job opportunities.

Mutiara explained that the demonstration, which will be predominantly attended by women from the labour class, is an accumulation of frustration among women affected by various government policies that do not side with the people, including the fuel price hike and the MBG project.

According to Mutiara, these two policies have caused a domino effect that is impoverishing the public. The increase in fuel prices has caused the prices of staple goods to skyrocket. This has indirectly strangled the lives of women, especially labourers who work for low wages and long hours.

Furthermore, the policy is considered to have pressured the middle class, many of whom employ domestic workers. ‘That has led to many of us women who work as domestic workers being laid off because their burden has also increased, making them unable to employ domestic workers anymore,’ Mutiara said.

In addition, the women will demand that President Prabowo fulfil his promise to resolve labour issues. According to Mutiara, there has been no proof of this promise to date. The establishment of the Task Force for Mitigating Layoffs and Workers’ Welfare, for example, has yet to make any significant moves. The promise to abolish outsourced labour and provide social assistance to workers has also evaporated.

‘Prabowo is not using the very large resources to guarantee workers’ rights and ensure our social welfare,’ Mutiara said. Ironically, she added, these large resources are instead being poured into populist programmes that support the interests of the political elite, such as the MBG and the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih (Red and White Village Cooperatives).

The Indonesian Women’s Alliance is also inviting members of the general public who share the same concerns to join the action. They hope the government will respond to their aspirations seriously and openly. ‘We also hope there will be no obstruction from the authorities, as has happened in previous student actions,’ Mutiara said.