Puan Asks MBG To Be Completely Evaluated, Encourages Presidential Decree To Be Issued Immediately

Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, together with Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Sana Mustopa. (Nailin-VOI)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, emphasized the need for a total evaluation of the implementation of the Free Nutrition Food (MBG) program, after the MBG menu mass poisoning incident that hit thousands of students in the last two months in various regions.

"Regarding MBG, of course, because this is in its interest for the children of the next generation of the nation, even the president has said that this is a very important program how to then improve the nutrition of all Indonesian children. But of course because it needs to be carried out a total evaluation and needs to be improved," said Puan at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday, October 2.

Puan also encouraged the issuance of a presidential regulation (Perpres) regarding the governance of the MBG which will be issued by President Prabowo Subianto, as stated by Commission IX of the DPR in a meeting with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), the Ministry of Health and BPOM yesterday.

"Yesterday, the Indonesian House of Representatives through the Commission asked that there be a legal umbrella in the form of a Presidential Decree, and I have received a report that a Presidential Decree will soon be issued regarding the legal umbrella, so that it can involve all relevant Ministries of institutions," said Puan.

Puan assessed that this Presidential Regulation is important so that related institutions can work together to make President Prabowo's government priority program a success. In particular, in order to minimize and even eliminate the number of victims of poisoning in the implementation of MBG.

"So that later we can help and of course take care not to let the process of providing a nutritious eating program consider it to have more problems in the field," said Puan.

"So of course we have to work together to encourage, support, how improvements in this field can be followed up immediately by related parties," added the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.

Puan also reminded the importance of total evaluation in the implementation of MBG. Especially to bring order to the SPPG kitchens that do not meet the requirements and have SLHS so that cases of poisoning do not occur again in the future.

"Because this program is very good for Indonesian children to improve nutrition, only the process and the mechanism must be fully evaluated," concluded Puan.