MBG Budget Not Cut, Purbaya Waiting for New Leadership to Complete Consolidation

Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa. (Teddy VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has confirmed that there has been no decision to cut the budget for the Free Nutritious Meal or MBG program.

Purbaya said the discussion of the new budget would be carried out after he met with the new leadership of MBG. The meeting is expected to take place next week.

"Not yet. I will meet the new chairman of MBG, maybe next week. I'll see what it's like," said Purbaya at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Thursday, July 23.

The previous meeting was planned to take place this week. However, the schedule was postponed to give time to the new ranks to consolidate.

"I wanted to meet this week, but I changed it. Let them consolidate first," he said.

Purbaya has not explained the budget figure that is being discussed nor the possibility of changing the allocation of the program.

He came to the Palace to attend a limited meeting with President Prabowo Subianto. According to Purbaya, the meeting is likely to discuss the Red and White Village Cooperative.

However, he admitted that he had not received a detailed explanation of the agenda of the meeting.

"It seems like that, but I don't know it well. I just brought a lot of materials," he said.

Purbaya also did not know whether the meeting would discuss the simultaneous launch of additional Red and White Village Cooperatives.

"I don't know, I want to hear," he said.