Father: Full and satisfied after eating. Couldn't wish for anything more, just want to sleep and be idle. Apparently being satisfied brings peace... very peaceful... it would be fitting to get an award...
The government is in damage control after a 69-page academic paper has gone viral that lists President Prabowo Subianto as one of its authors, and argues that the country's Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program should receive the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
The paper, titled Nobel Peace Prize 2026 Free Meal Program by the National Nutrition Agency: Building Smart Business for Food Security Industry and Indonesia's Economic Growth, was uploaded to SSRN, an open-access digital repository where researchers can share academic papers before journal publication.
Government Communication Agency (Bakom) head Muhammad Qodari said that they are looking into the inclusion of Prabowo's name in the paper. "It is being investigated", Qodari told reporters at the Bakom office Jakarta on August 5.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is also trying to verify the document after it included an attachment containing a ministry letter with the reference number ND/KIE/001/I/2026, and the Ministry's information centre head Benni Irwan said was is checking if the letter was actually issued by the institution.
"We need to confirm first whether the letter submitted actually came from the Ministry of Home Affairs or not", Irwan told Tempo.
As of Thursday August 6, the paper was still available on SSRN and Prabowo's name is listed as one of the 10 authors. The other nine names were identified as lecturers from various higher education institutions.
The paper describes Prabowo's flagship MBG program, which is managed by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), as an initiative that combines social welfare goals with a business-based model. It claims the program could improve public welfare while supporting Indonesia's economic growth and food security sector.
[Abridged from a Tempo English article titled Indonesia probes academic paper on MBG listing Prabowo as author. The academic paper can be viewed here: https://www.studocu.id/id/document/sekolah-dasar-sekolah-menengah-pertama-sekolah-menengah-atas-labschool-cibubur/seni-rupa/nobel-peace-prize-2026-free-meal-program-food-security-in-indonesia/169445301?sid=d13449e9-68e0-4fd2-b015-c2fbd9fd1bc51788576483.]
