Ombudsman Finds Indonesian Govt Unprepared in Managing Free Nutritious Meal Program

The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia has revealed several notes from its surveillance of the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program. These notes were conveyed by Ombudsman Member Yeka Hendra Fatika during a press conference with the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana at the Ombudsman office in Jakarta on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

In this regard, the Ombudsman expressed its readiness and commitment to monitor the menu and the foundations managing the MBG program. "We will focus on whether all Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) have been implemented by the foundations. Second, we will focus on whether the menu served is in accordance with its SOP," said Yeka.

Yeka explained that, for now, the Ombudsman cannot monitor the implementation of MBG in 38 provinces due to the limited number of Ombudsman representative offices in the country. The Ombudsman will oversee MBG in 34 provinces where there are already Ombudsman representative offices.

He said the Ombudsman does not focus on monitoring the use of the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN) for the MBG program because it is outside its jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, Dadan stated that the BGN asked the Ombudsman to intensify its monitoring of the MBG implementation, especially in all Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG). He mentioned that the BGN is very open to being monitored at any time by the Ombudsman.

"Two things can be done there. First, is financial supervision. Second, is the application of SOP related to the production of food to be distributed to the beneficiaries," said Dadan.

Here are a number of notes from the Ombudsman regarding President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program.

Inadequate Budget Support for MBG

One important finding from the Ombudsman's assessment of the MBG program is the lack of transparency regarding financing. "During January to April, we recorded many problems in the field, because the Ombudsman sees that this program is not supported by adequate budget policies," said Yeka.

Yeka explained that the BGN provided an explanation that this happened due to the government's lack of preparation in implementing the program. The budget planning for the MBG program, which should have been ready in December 2024, turned out to be incomplete.

However, the MBG program still had to continue in January 2025 due to high political tension. "Therefore, the BGN had to run this program with various limitations," said Yeka.

Emergence of Brokers Exploiting MBG

Yeka mentioned that the government's lack of readiness in managing the MBG budget has led to the emergence of 'brokers' or third parties exploiting the program for personal gain. "So between the foundation and the kitchen owner, apparently, I see that there are wandering brokers among the foundations," he said.

The Ombudsman proposed that the government, through the Ministry of Law, simplify the granting of foundation permits to minimize the emergence of third parties. "Especially for people who are ready to contribute to building their kitchen," he said.

Meanwhile, Dadan stated that they have improved the payment mechanism. Currently, payments to SPPG are made in advance online.

"So, the expenses for the next 10 days have been transferred from the beginning. And then, for the next 5 days, the SPPG submits a budget for the next 10 days," said Dadan. He also ensured that, at present, all government debts to SPPG have been settled.

With this mechanism, Dadan was optimistic that there would be no more 'brokers' among the foundations causing payment issues. Dadan also promised to continue improving along with the implementation of the MBG program. "We hope the Ombudsman can be more involved, especially in all the SPPGs that are and will be operational later," he said.

At Cost Financing of MBG Closes the Room for Misconduct

According to Yeka, financing the MBG program at cost or according to legitimate expenditure proof can close the space for misconduct. "The Ombudsman sees that with 'at cost,' there is no room for misconduct," said Yeka, as quoted from Antara.

Therefore, he hopes that the opportunity for corruption will be further closed with various accountability mechanisms regulated by the BGN.

Meanwhile, he explained that 'at cost' financing for MBG is regulated at a maximum of Rp 15,000, consisting of Rp 2,000 for kitchen rental, Rp 3,000 operational costs, and Rp 10,000 for food. "This means, if the operational cost is Rp 2,500, then that will be paid later," he said.

He also explained that if the cost of food per portion is Rp 9,000, then that will be paid to SPPG at Rp 9,000. Not more or less, or 'at cost.' "If cooking costs Rp 8,000, it will be paid Rp 8,000, and that varies for different education levels, for elementary, junior high, and high school," he said.

Request for SPPG to Comply with Free Nutritious Meal Program SOP

The Ombudsman also requested all SPPGs to comply with the MBG program SOP. Yeka said that compliance with MBG SOP is important because maintaining food quality is very crucial.

"The Ombudsman encourages the SOP to be implemented by all kitchen service units in the regions, and to prevent any issues arising from the quality," said Yeka.

Regarding MBG poisoning incidents, Yeka stated that the Ombudsman has received a report from the Head of BGN regarding the improvement measures. "Starting two weeks ago, the Head of BGN has tightened the measures, and until now we see the progress improving," he said.

Suggesting BGN Increase SPPG Partner Verification Personnel

Yeka suggested that BGN increase the personnel for verifying SPPG partners. "Ombudsman's suggestion is for BGN to immediately increase personnel to verify and accelerate the target of these SPPGs," said Yeka.

He explained that the suggestion was made after the Ombudsman saw data regarding the number of foundations or SPPG partners still needing verification by the BGN at the coordination meeting. Furthermore, he stated that the BGN in 2025 targets the formation of 30,000 SPPGs.

Out of tens of thousands of SPPGs, he said, around 2,000 will be built with APBN, and about 28,000 will be formed by foundations or partners. "Out of the 28,000 partners, only 1,335 SPPGs have been realized so far," he said.

Therefore, he said, the BGN needs to add personnel to verify around 26,700 foundations or SPPG partners.

Dede Leni Mardianti and Antara contributed to the writing of this article.

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