Indonesian Lawmaker Claims He Never Meets People Opposing Free Nutritious Meal Program

3 hours ago 3

October 15, 2025 | 04:11 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Gerindra Party politician Habiburokhman claimed he has never encountered anyone who rejected the free nutritious meal or MBG program. He claimed that the individuals he met in his electoral district supported the Prabowo-led free meal project for school students.

Habiburokhman often toured his constituency in East Jakarta during the recess period. He mentioned that the majority of the people frequently inquired about the MBG realization. "I have never met anyone who rejected MBG," said Habiburokhman during a hearing at the DPR building in Jakarta on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

Habiburokhman stated that he actually met people who requested that the free meal program be implemented in their areas. "Because there are several locations that do not have MBG yet," said the Chair of the DPR's Commission III.

He believes these aspirations to be the genuine will of the people. "These are the people, the real people. Not individuals who have no connection with the community, suddenly acting as if they know that MBG is being rejected," said Habiburokhman.

Therefore, Habiburokhman mentioned that he supported the continuous implementation of the MBG program. Nevertheless, he said every government program, including MBG, inevitably encounters challenges. Hence, the government must improve the implementation of the free nutritious meal.

The lawmaker requested fair criticism from the people, adding that not everything related to power is negative. "There are also many positive aspects. We should fix what is wrong and support what is already good. That's called being fair," he said.

Habiburokhman conveyed his stance on MBG during a public hearing together with the Indonesian Student Alliance or Aman. This student coalition expressed its support for several government programs, including the free nutritious meal program, during this meeting.

Thus far, the MBG program has received resistance from several sections of the community. Among them is Suara Ibu Indonesia (Voice of Indonesian Mothers) alliance, which held a peaceful protest rejecting MBG in front of the National Nutrition Agency building in Menteng, Central Jakarta, this afternoon. The women underscored various cases of food poisoning in schools due to state-sanctioned free meals.

Hendrik Yaputra contributed to the writing of this article

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