Habiburokhman Calls MBG Beneficial, Never Meets Rejection In The Field

Illustration of free bergizi meals (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chairman of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Habiburokhman, admitted that he had never met people in the constituency (dapil) of East Jakarta who refused the Free Nutrition Food (MBG) program. He said the majority of the people in his electoral district actually supported MBG to continue.

This was conveyed by Habiburokhman in response to a number of students who provided input on the Criminal Procedure Code to the appreciation of the Free Nutrition Food (MBG) program at a Public Hearing Meeting (RDPU) with the Archipelago Student Alliance, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, October 15.

"We have to be fair, critical and even super critical. I'm East Jakarta, friends, my constituency is East Jakarta. I travel around every night during the recess, this is a recess time. That's the people about MBG, most of them are 'Sir?' I've never even met the person who refused MBG, right," said Habiburokhman.

The Gerindra legislator from the DKI Jakarta I electoral district also said that a number of people asked the MBG program to be maximized. Habiburokhman said that the people he met actually supported the MBG program and continued, not stopped.

"'Sir, MBG, sir, here, sir, maximized, sir, when is the realization?' Because there are several points that have not been realized, 'when is the realization?' What can MBG do? Continue? 'Wow, sir, that's very useful'," said Habiburokhman.

"That's the people, the real people are real people, not people who have nothing to do with the community suddenly as if they knew, well, MBG was rejected, stopped," continued the Gerindra Deputy.

If the majority of the people want the MBG program to be continued, then according to him, the government will follow.

"If the people ask to continue because they really feel it is useful, what do we want? Yes, of course we support it and we continue to want to make improvements. Now, this improvement is all done, sir, it is impossible for the government not to want to improve these programs. Surely all programs have problems, right?" said Habiburokhman.

According to him, celebrations that are often carried out by the community must find shortcomings, especially regarding the provision of nutritious food in fantastic quantities in almost all regions of Indonesia.

"We just make a celebration, there must be, for example, missing a spoon, what's the name, the food doesn't match the number of people present, that's right, especially since this is a national celebration and it's like that every day," he said.

In fact, he said, many other countries have implemented a free and successful nutritious eating program. Habiburokhman said that the people in his constituency considered the MBG program to be also very useful.

"If you want to get married, you must be dizzy about the reception, there is only a problem for a lifetime. Moreover, every day you make a celebration like this. But best practices in other countries are proven, what, they can run it in other countries and this is an extraordinary benefit," said Habiburokhman.

"Not by theory I said, sir, this was stated directly by mothers who I met them every night. How about MBG? 'very helpful, the benefits are extraordinary'. So the need to fulfill children's nutrition, right, that can be helped by this program," he concluded.