Observers Say MBG is an Investment to Achieve Golden Indonesia

JAKARTA – Observers believe that the free nutritious meal program (MBG) should be viewed as an investment to achieve the ideals of Golden Indonesia, not just a political promise.

Fitria Muslih, Executive Director of the Center for Regional Studies and Information (Pattiro), stated that the MBG program must be managed with a long-term perspective.

“If the government wants to position MBG as a priority, it should be viewed as an investment to achieve Golden Indonesia, not just positioning MBG as a political promise,” said Fitria.

According to Fitria, MBG should be positioned as an investment aimed at improving the quality of human resources, which requires large funds and careful planning.

“The program must be viewed as a long-term investment. Not just spending (the budget), then the output is unclear,” she said.

Fitria also reminded of the importance of clear achievement indicators so that the success of this program can be measured. She also supports President Prabowo Subianto’s Instruction regarding budget efficiency, including for the MBG program, and emphasizes the importance of transparency and accountability in the use of the state budget.

On the other hand, Medelina K. Hendytio, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia, reminded that MBG should not only be a centralized program in the government. According to her, because Indonesia has a large geographical condition, government programs should be carried out in a participatory manner.

“This centralized handling of MBG may need to be reconsidered, by utilizing existing institutions or agencies, both at the center and in the regions, such as Community Health Centers to the village level, so that the impression of centralism can be avoided and public participation can be increased,” she said.

On the other hand, R. Haidar Alwi, Founder of the Haidar Alwi Institute (HAI), said that the majority of people are satisfied with the MBG program. Based on a survey by Litbang Kompas, 66.8 percent of the people stated that they were satisfied with the program, while only 23.2 percent were dissatisfied.

Haidar reminded that this program is very important, especially for students who need nutritional intake to focus on studying at school. “It is impossible for students to concentrate with an empty stomach,” he said.

Haidar also believes that budget cuts will not have a negative impact on the quality of education, because the cuts are made to administrative and ceremonial budgets, not to important funds such as scholarships and teacher allowances.