April 30, 2026 | 09:22 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto defended his decision to allocate a substantial budget to priority programs, including Free Nutritious Meals (MBG), Red and White Village Cooperatives, and affordable housing. To him, there is no fault in channeling state funds directly to the citizens.
Prabowo dismissed criticisms of his flagship initiatives while addressing the groundbreaking ceremony for 13 national infrastructure projects in Cilacap, Central Java.
"What is wrong if the President of the Republic of Indonesia and his government want to allocate funds to their own people? What is wrong?" Prabowo remarked on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
According to the Chief Patron of the Gerindra Party, all programs initiated by his administration aim to stem the flow of Indonesia’s wealth overseas and return it to the domestic population.
Efficiency Over Corruption
Prabowo also claimed that the budget used to finance various priority projects under the Red and White Cabinet was sourced from efficiency measures, specifically, funds that were previously susceptible to corruption.
"This is money we saved from corruption. We restrained funds that were destined to be embezzled, reallocated them, and channeled them to the people. What is wrong with that? I believe I am on the right path. We are on the right path," he stated.
During the same event, the former Defense Minister accused critics of fearing the success of one of his primary projects, the MBG. Despite the pushback, he remained resolute in his commitment to the program.
Prabowo mentioned that there are currently tens of millions of MBG beneficiaries. "We will continue until it is completed. We will resolve the many shortcomings. Many are simply afraid that this will succeed," he said.
Accelerating Nutrition Initiatives
President Prabowo’s administration continues to accelerate the realization of the MBG project, which targets approximately 82 million beneficiaries. Various measures are being implemented to achieve this target as swiftly as possible.
Most recently, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), the body responsible for the MBG, requested that universities participate by opening Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG), the official term for MBG kitchen providers. Head of BGN Dadan Hindayana stated that campuses play a strategic role in supporting the success of President Prabowo Subianto’s priority program.
Thus, Dadan urged universities to independently establish and manage SPPGs, while simultaneously transforming them into practice-based learning centers.
Sultan Abdurrahman contributed to this article.
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