Prabowo Says 1,030 SPPGs Temporarily Closed, Anyone Can Complain to MBG

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JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto revealed that more than 1,000 Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG) kitchens in the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program have been temporarily suspended (suspended) as part of efforts to improve service quality.

According to the Indonesian Government Communication Agency (Bakom), the President said that the government took this step to ensure that the standards for nutrition, hygiene, and food safety were truly met, so that the program could run optimally and accurately.

"I immediately checked. Call the Head of BGN and I continue to cross-check," said Prabowo in a question and answer session with journalists and experts at his residence in Hambalang, Bogor, which aired on Thursday (19/3) as reported by ANTARA.

Prabowo stated that the policy did not mean stopping the program, but rather part of the comprehensive evaluation and improvement process. According to him, the decision was made after conducting a direct check following various inputs and criticisms of the implementation of MBG in the field.

According to Prabowo, the government does not turn a blind eye to criticism, but rather uses it as a material for evaluation to improve the quality of programs that concern the future of the nation's generation.

"I send my people to check. I think, if I'm not mistaken, out of tens of thousands of kitchens, we have closed more than a thousand," he continued.

Prabowo stated that the action was taken firmly against kitchens that did not meet the standards, with direct supervision in the field.

"More than a thousand. This is my deputy head of a mother, this mother, Nanik's mother yes. This is very fierce. He is sidak terus kerjanya," he said.

"Those who have been suspended, 1,030 and what we are doing now is certification. So if your kitchen is more than a few months, you have to pass the hygiene certification, food safety certification, check the water, the water is safe, the water is cooked like what, then the ompreng, all of that has its criteria. If it doesn't work, it's closed," said the President.

In addition, the government has also begun to implement a strict standardization and certification system for all MBG kitchens. Each kitchen is required to meet criteria for hygiene, food safety, water quality, and processing processes that meet standards. Kitchens that do not meet the requirements will be immediately suspended until improvements are made.

The government also opened a public supervision mechanism, by providing reporting access for the community, schools, and parents to monitor and report the implementation of programs in the field.

Prabowo emphasized that transparency and public involvement were the key to ensuring that the MBG program was clean and on target.

"Anyone can check. The principal, parents, and the surrounding community can enter and complain," he said.

He also emphasized the importance of building a new culture in program governance, namely abandoning reporting practices that are not in accordance with facts.

"Reporting that is only good is a bad culture. We must dare to face reality," he said.

In the future, the government will continue to strengthen supervision, improve systems, and ensure that the MBG program really provides real benefits in improving the quality of people's nutrition, especially children.