National Journalist Forum Criticizes MBG and Food Prices, Demands Subsidies to be Added

JAKARTA - The National Journalists Forum (FWK) highlighted the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program amid rising prices of basic necessities and the weakening of the rupiah exchange rate against the US dollar.

FWK asked the government to immediately improve the management of the MBG and transfer the efficiency of the program's budget to help people deal with rising food prices.

The spotlight was delivered in the FWK National Discussion in Jakarta, Wednesday (20/5), after President Prabowo Subianto delivered an economic and fiscal speech in the DPR.

FWK Coordinator Raja Parlindungan Pane said the government needed to move quickly because economic pressure was starting to be felt in the community.

"President Prabowo needs to immediately improve the implementation of the MBG program because there are many budget leaks. The efficiency of MBG must be returned to the people, in the form of subsidies that touch the basic needs of the people," said Raja.

FWK noted that the prices of a number of basic necessities began to rise in various regions. FWK member reports said that the prices of cooking oil, tofu, tempe, eggs, and even garlic have increased in recent months.

This condition was exacerbated by the weakening of the rupiah against the US dollar which on Wednesday (20/5) touched the level of Rp17,666.80 per US dollar.

A day earlier, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the government was evaluating the management of MBG, including the possibility of adjusting the budget from the initial allocation of Rp355 trillion in the 2026 State Budget.

The realization of the MBG budget itself is said to have reached Rp75 trillion by the end of April 2026.

"The President is improving the management of MBG and the way they spend their money," said Purbaya.

Former Deputy Chairman of the Press Council Hendry Ch Bangun who attended the discussion assessed that the state budget must be used as an economic cushion or shock absorber to maintain people's purchasing power.

According to Hendry, the government needs to identify commodities that are vulnerable to import and dollar fluctuations, such as soybeans which are the raw materials for tofu and tempe.

"The government needs to use the state budget as a shock absorber to dampen the surge in global oil prices and weaken the rupiah exchange rate against the purchasing power of the people," said Hendry.

FWK also highlighted the scarcity of Minyakita in a number of areas. In Pekanbaru, the price of Minyakita is said to have reached Rp. 20 thousand to Rp. 22 thousand per liter, far above the HET of Rp. 15,700 per liter.

FWK Economic Coordinator Herry Sinamarata asked the Regional Inflation Control Team or TPID in all regions to be more active in overseeing the distribution of goods and preventing speculation.

The FWK National Discussion was also attended by VOI Editor-in-Chief Iqbal Irsyad, Jakarta Suara Merdeka Editor-in-Chief Budi Nugraha, as well as a number of senior journalists, including M Nasir, Dadang Rahmat, Krista Riyanto, and Berman Nainggolan.

According to Herry, food price stability is an urgent issue amid global economic pressures and people's purchasing power which is starting to be depressed.