Prabowo Defends Nutrition Program Amidst Economist Criticism

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has strongly refuted criticisms from some economists regarding his "Makan Bergizi Gratis" (Free Nutritious Meals) policy, which aims to provide nutritious food for children, pregnant women, and the elderly. Speaking at a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace on Monday (July 20, 2026), the President expressed regret that the nutritional improvement program is being labeled as 'wasteful'. "I don't understand why providing nutritious food for Indonesian children, pregnant mothers, and the elderly is being attacked. However, for trillions of rupiah that have evaporated and left the Indonesian earth every year for 34 years, there are no comments, no expert protests, no investigations," Prabowo stated, defending the policy's rationale. The President pointed out that the government is being accused of 'budgetary waste' for attempting to feed children who are clearly suffering from malnutrition. He added, "At least a quarter of our children are stunted, and many school-aged children are not eating enough. Yet, we are accused of being wasteful. We are told the economy will collapse, stock prices will plummet, and the currency will weaken, all because of this extravagance." The plenary cabinet meeting was attended by several ministers, including the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Djamari Chaniago; Minister of State Secretary, Prasetyo Hadi; Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman; and Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar. Also present were the Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration, Yandri Susanto; Minister of Trade, Budi Santoso; Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman; Minister of Investment and Downstreaming, Rosan Roeslani; Minister of Manpower, Yassierli; and Minister of State Secretary, Prasetyo Hadi. Additionally, Deputy Minister of Manpower, Afriansyah Noor; Deputy Minister of Public Works, Diana Kusumastuti; Special Advisor to the President for Public Order and Police Reform, Ahmad Dofiri; Head of BARANTIN, Abdul Kadir Karding; and Head of BGN, Nanik S Daeyang. Such meetings are routine government agendas to evaluate program implementation and discuss acceleration strategies for national priority programs. Indonesia has long grappled with the issue of child stunting as a significant social problem, and the government has identified nutritional improvement as a key policy priority. However, discussions surrounding the program's fiscal sustainability and its prioritization against other development sectors continue to be subjects of debate among economists and the public. Source: Liputan6