January 7, 2026 | 04:04 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Galau D. Muhammad, a member of MBG Watch, responded to President Prabowo Subianto's claim of nearly perfect implementation of the free nutritious meal (MBG) program. He noted several discrepancies between the president's remark and the reality on the ground, ranging from mass food poisoning to perceived mismanagement and lack of transparency.
The free meal watchdog member said the Indonesian government has yet to release a comprehensive evaluation of the MBG implementation. What is being publicly released is limited to the narratives of success without clear objective indicators.
"All we receive is the glorification of success. The indicators used to declare this program effective have never been presented in a transparent manner," said Galau when contacted on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
Galau noted that much of the constructive criticism against the free nutritious meal program has been treated like an offense for the past year. Instead of addressing the substance, the government often called the critics slanderers. "Systemic problems are shifted to personal matters. This is not an ideal political situation for discussing national-scale public policies funded by the state budget," he stated.
Citing data from the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) and other civil groups, Galau said the number of MBG-related food poisoning cases has exceeded 20,000, which the government tends to dismiss as smaller than the number of beneficiaries.
"Yet, legally, these cases already meet the criteria for extraordinary events. This is noet just a small fraction, but a serious precedent that directly affects children," he said.
The free meal-induced poisoning, Galau said, does not stop at short-term health aspects. He mentioned that the children are suffering from trauma, while the parents are sometimes forced to quit their jobs to care for the recovering children.
MBG Watch also slammed the public communication style of Prabowo's administration, which he considered defensive and closed off. Galau also disclosed reports of intimidation against MBG whistleblowers, including a case where a child was expelled from school after reporting MBG concerns.
"This makes the MBG project feel very exclusive. It seems that even poisonings are not enough to stop or correct the course of the program," he said.
Galau urged the government to conduct a transparent total audit of the free nutritious meal implementation, involving the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). He emphasized that the audit should encompass public kitchens and Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG), rather than simply refuting criticisms in public forums.
He also believes that several technical changes, such as replacing eating utensils or the idea of adding duck spoons, fall short of addressing the root problem. "The issue is not about isolated cases, but about exclusive, non-transparent, and corruption-prone management," said Galau.
President Prabowo Subianto earlier claimed the success rate of the free nutritious meal (MBG) program has reached 99 percent, according to evaluation results. "Short of 0.00-something [percent]," the head of state said as quoted from the Cabinet Secretariat's website on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.
"We were able to overcome that shortcoming, and continue to do so," he added.
Prabowo made the statement in front of his ministers during the Red and White Cabinet retreat at his private residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java, today. Prabowo said he's not turning a blind eye to shortcomings and potential deviations in MBG implementation, and pledged that the government will intervene and oversee the flagship program.
Read: Prabowo Claims 99% Success Rate for Free Nutritious Meal Program
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