PCO Spokesperson Ensures MBG Program Doesn't Cut Other Budgets

Spokesperson for the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) Dedek Prayudi while attending Performance 2024 and the 2025 Target of Bank Tanah in Bandung, West Java, Friday (17/1/2025). (ANTARA/HO-Bank Tanah)

BANDUNG - Spokesperson for the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) Dedek Prayudi emphasized that the Free Nutrition Eating Program (MBG) did not cut other budgets.

"Nothing really exists, it's actually not like that. So don't frame that it's as if MBG is sacrificing others," said Dedek in Bandung, West Java, as reported by ANTARA, Saturday, January 18.

Dedek explained that President Prabowo Subianto's administration was refocusing on his work programs.

Dedek said that during President Joko Widodo's administration, the main focus of the budget was being mobilized for massive infrastructure development.

In the era of President Prabowo, said Dedek, his focus was on developing human resources (HR) starting from MBG amounting to Rp71 trillion and free health checks with a budget of Rp4.7 trillion.

In addition, the government also plans to provide free TB checks, outside of health checks for birthdays, with a budget of IDR 8 trillion.

The improvement in the quality of health infrastructure, such as hospitals and health centers, was also increased in the Prabowo era with a budget of IDR 15 trillion.

"So, it's not that MBG is eating something else, no. But, what is there is from what was previously infrastructure we built massively, so now our APBN infrastructure, we are diverting it. Now refocusing to human development. While infrastructure is still being built, only now the role of the private sector is being improved," he explained.

Dedek said that one of the budgets whose portion fell was for the construction of the capital city of the archipelago (IKN), East Kalimantan. Currently, the regional development has decreased compared to the previous year.

According to Dedek, this is normal because currently the focus of development is being mobilized to include the private sector.

The massive development carried out by the government is a bait for the private sector, especially for foreign investors, to see the country's seriousness in building IKN.

"Because there is indeed a sealing, the APBN can pay for the IKN development, it is only tens of percent, and it is in the law, and when it is approaching sealing, or it has reached the upper limit, it is time for the private sector to finance it," said Dedek.