PDIP Giliaran Accuses Free Lunch Program Discussed At Jokowi's Cabinet Session Efforts To Build A Complete Election Scenario

PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto/DOK PHOTO: Wardhany Tsa Tsia-VOI

Secretary General of the PDI-P (PDIP) Hasto Kristiyanto spoke up about the news that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) discussed the free lunch program belonging to the presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair number two, Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming. He said this step was not appropriate because the 2024 election process had not yet been completed. "The discussion is not appropriate because now the presidential election stage has just entered the recapitulation stage," Hasto told reporters in Jakarta, Wednesday, February 28. Hasto then questioned the discussion at the palace. He accused that there was an effort to build an opinion that the stages of the 2024 presidential election had been completed. "There are certain efforts that then actually raise a question mark when massive power consolidation is carried out," he said. “ Including the discussion of the free lunch program from Pak Prabowo and Mas Gibran while the presidential election stage has not yet been completed. There is an effort to seem to want to build a scenario that the election has been completed even though the recapitulation has just been carried out,” continued the former member of the DPR RI. Meanwhile, President Jokowi agreed to a discussion that alluded to the presidential program being elected in the 2024 presidential election. However, his claim was that he did not specifically discuss Prabowo-Gibran's free lunch program. “So that the elected president becomes faster and easier in budgeting. So no longer submitting a budget to the DPR RI. This was conveyed in yesterday's plenary meeting, ” said Jokowi after opening the TNI/Polri Leadership Meeting at GOR Ahmad Yani, TNI Headquarters, Cilangkap, East Jakarta, Wednesday, February 28. As previously reported, news of President Jokowi discussing Prabowo-Gibran's free lunch program emerged after a plenary cabinet session was held at the State Palace, Monday, February 26. At that time a number of ministers and heads of institutions were present.

This information was conveyed by the Minister of ATR/BPN Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono who said the program was indeed discussed but not in detail. "I see it in detail because the time is quite short, there are no details discussed," the Chairman of the Democratic Party told reporters.