Snap Insight: Indonesia’s free meal programme hit by graft probe but Prabowo will push on with it
Three former leaders of the Indonesian national nutrition agency were arrested just a day after President Prabowo Subianto fired them.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visits a junior high school in Jakarta to see the implementation of his flagship free nutritious meal programme on Jun 2, 2026 (Photo: Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau/Rusman)
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JAKARTA: If there is one thing about 74-year-old Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto that is hard to deny, it is that he is very persistent.
He made four unsuccessful bids to be president or vice-president from 2004 to 2019 – losing twice in 2014 and 2019 to Joko Widodo in presidential elections – but Prabowo never gave up.
He finally succeeded in the 2024 presidential election and became Indonesia’s eighth president.
So, when three former leaders of the national nutrition agency who ran Prabowo’s flagship free nutritious meal programme were arrested and named graft suspects by the attorney general’s office (AGO) on Wednesday (Jun 3), just a day after they were sacked, would this stop him from continuing the US$15 billion-a-year programme?
No.
Rather, this is Prabowo’s chance to improve his ambitious programme, which aims to feed at least 82.9 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women, to prevent malnutrition and stunting, so Indonesia can become a developed nation.
Beyond that, a larger question is whether the episode – stinging as it is – could have some bearing on how he and his inner circle of close advisers oversee key policies.
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THE SHOW MUST GO ON
Prabowo has launched various ambitious programmes since he came to power at the end of October 2024.
These include a 400 trillion rupiah (US$22.2 billion) Red-White village cooperative to help rural communities and a free health check programme to prevent people from falling ill.
But it is the free nutritious meal programme that is arguably his signature policy – having promoted it since he began campaigning for the presidency in 2023.
It is also the most talked about one as it has been linked to food poisoning cases affecting at least 33,000 children as of April, according to Network for Education Watch, a non-governmental organisation.
Analysts have also raised concerns about the scale and cost of the scheme, given that Indonesia’s economy is facing pressure from a historically weak rupiah that has hit 18,000 rupiah per US dollar.
The high cost of the programme may also challenge the 3 per cent fiscal deficit threshold relative to gross domestic product (GDP). In 2025, the deficit was 2.92 per cent of the GDP.
The government originally earmarked a whopping 335 trillion rupiah to run the programme for this year alone.
But it announced in March that it would cut back delivery from six days a week to five in response to price pressures from the Middle East war, and as of end of May, this year’s budget has been cut to 268 trillion rupiah.
Prabowo had previously brushed off concerns over the programme, saying that food poisoning cases are just a minority.
Of late though, he has acknowledged that his signature project “comes with many problems” and pledged to “put things in order”.
He struck a similar tone at an event in Bogor on Wednesday following the much-publicised arrests of the ex-head of the national nutrition agency Dadan Hindayana and his ex-deputies Lodewyk Pusung and Sony Sonjaya.
At the event, Prabowo said he would strengthen the capacity of supervisory institutions and law enforcement officials to ensure the free meal programme runs in line with its objectives.
He also told the head of the financial and development supervisory agency, the head of the corruption eradication committee, and the attorney general, who were all present at the event, to personally tell him if they need anything to help them do their jobs properly.
Prabowo said there is no room for irregularities or abuse of trust in the implementation of the free meal programme.
He explained that he sacked the trio on Tuesday night – he was with Dadan hours earlier, inspecting a kitchen and a school serving the free meal in Jakarta – after receiving various reports of deficiencies and alleged irregularities and indications of fraud in the programme’s implementation.
Prabowo reiterated his commitment to continue the free meal programme.
“I am sure, and I believe, this programme will be successful,” said Prabowo at the event in Bogor.
MORE CONTROL
Prabowo has replaced Dadan, who is an entomologist, with Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, the only deputy left whom he did not fire.
Two others, Agustina Arumsari and Mayor General Trenggono, were appointed as the new deputies of the national nutrition agency.
They were all at the event in Bogor.
Nanik is a former journalist who has supported Prabowo since his 2019 presidential candidacy.
Meanwhile, Agustina is the former deputy head of the financial and development supervisory agency.
With the new appointments and the corruption case, Prabowo looks set to exercise more control and oversight over his signature programme to ensure it indeed becomes the huge success he envisions.
While Prabowo’s Cabinet is the largest in six decades, he is known to have a tight inner circle, including Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya and Prabowo’s brother, businessman Hashim Djojohadikusumo, whom he entrusts with several issues.
The latter is also Prabowo’s special envoy for energy and climate, while Teddy is known for handling government issues that are not necessarily within his regular job duties.
Just a few days ago, netizens were left puzzled when the social affairs ministry posted a video showing Minister for Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf meeting Teddy to update him on the progress of a programme the ministry is running.
Other ministers, such as the communications minister and cooperatives minister, have also been known to report to Teddy on several matters.
The graft case could prompt Prabowo to place greater oversight duties of his flagship programmes, especially the free nutritious meal programme, among people he trusts.
The scheme has so far reached about 60 million people in just 1.5 years since its launch.
But perhaps what it needs is more than just control and oversight.
It needs to be run by competent people and to be more targeted. Not every child and pregnant woman needs a free meal.
A more targeted approach could save money and still help the programme achieve its goal of boosting nutrition.
Source: CNA/ks(js)
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