JAKARTA - The Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program is back in the spotlight. In a public discussion entitled "Suing the Noble MBG" at Graha Kosgoro, Jakarta, Monday, March 16, 2026, academics, activists, and journalists compactly criticized the implementation of the government's flagship program Prabowo Subianto.
IDEALS senior researcher Haris Maraden assessed that MBG was born from good intentions, but its implementation was considered problematic. According to the Pancasila University economics doctor, supply disruptions, unstructured menus, unclear quotas, and disrupted distribution chains make the program's goals threatened to miss.
"This program is actually noble. But in implementation, it actually loses its meaning because there are many technical problems that are not prepared thoroughly," said Haris.
He said MBG should not only improve the nutrition of schoolchildren, but also mobilize the people's economy. However, these two targets, according to him, are prone to fail if the problems on the ground continue to be left.
More harsh criticism came from Ian Mulyana from LBH Kawal. The Trisakti University law doctoral candidate emphasized that MBG was not a program that was immune to criticism, and could even be stopped if it was proven to be problematic.
Ian said there were three legal paths that civil society could take, namely suing the allocation of MBG funds through a judicial review of the State Budget Law to the Constitutional Court, suing the rules for the formation of the National Nutrition Agency to the Supreme Court, and filing a citizen's lawsuit if the program triggers mass poisoning or negligence.
Meanwhile, Raja Pane from the National Journalists Forum urged the program to be temporarily stopped. He assessed that the implementation of MBG has more problems than benefits.
Raja noted at least 14 problems, ranging from programs that were considered rushed, poor communication, lack of valid information, poor management, inefficient distribution, to the lack of budget transparency.
"Without transparency and public support, a program of this size actually raises public suspicion," said Raja.
The discussion was attended by students, civil society activists, and journalists. They highlighted one thing in common: a big program is not enough to be wrapped in good intentions, but it must also be neat, safe, and open.
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