North Sumatra Academics, Ulama to Activists Support Prabowo Program, Ask the Community to Join the Guard

MEDAN - A number of academics, clerics, activists, and community leaders in North Sumatra expressed their support for various government programs of President Prabowo Subianto. They assessed that programs such as Free Nutritious Meals (MBG), Red and White Village Cooperatives, People's Schools, to the downstreaming of natural resources have benefits for the community and need to be monitored together so that their implementation runs effectively and accurately.

Academic of the North Sumatra State Islamic University (UIN Sumut), Iwan Nasution, said that one of the programs that received attention was the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program. According to him, the program has a positive goal because it is related to meeting the needs of the community.

"Mr. Prabowo collects palm oil entrepreneurs who are in arrears with taxes, from these taxes that are channeled to MBG," said Iwan in a Meet the Figure, Dialogue and Moral Attitude to Maintain National Unity event in Medan, Friday, June 19.

He assessed that the program was a good policy, although its implementation still needed to be supervised by the public. "This program is good. That then how it goes in the field, we are the ones who supervise together," he said.

Iwan assessed that other programs such as the Red and White Village Cooperative and the People's School are also good. The reason is that these programs are aimed directly at small communities.

In line with Iwan, former activist figure 98. Muhamad Ihyar Harahap, said the task of the history of the student movement was to support, escort and succeed the government's people-oriented program

"The MBG program, the red and white cooperatives, the eradication of corruption and the downstreaming of natural resources that are being carried out by the government by President Prabowo are mandates of the law and benefit the small people, the historical task of the student movement is precisely to encourage, monitor and succeed the people's program," said Ikhyar.

"This is rare in the Indonesian historical phase that the government's task and the historical task of the student movement can synergize," he explained.

Meanwhile, the Academic of Medan Area University (UMA), Ara Auza, said the government program was not only considered good, but noble because it had a humanitarian value. "Not only good, but also noble. Because feeding people is a noble act," said Ara.

Ara also responded to criticism and aspirations from students regarding the implementation of government programs. He assessed that the delivery of aspirations is part of the democratic process, while the government has the responsibility to make improvements.

"What the student friends conveyed was an action, and the government is now reacting with improvements in governance," he said.

The representative of BKPRMI North Sumatra, Syafrizal Harahap, said that President Prabowo Subianto's program had a direct impact on the community. Syafrizal appreciated the establishment of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah which made the implementation of the 2026 Hajj much better.

"You can ask those who have gone on the hajj. Now there are many changes, facilities. And there are no longer many who die," he said.

Regarding MBG, Syafrizal ensured that this program is a good program. He reminded that in religion giving is a good thing to do for fellow human beings.