Jakarta – The MBG Monitoring Coalition is asking the government to halt the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program and then take steps to fully evaluate President Prabowo Subianto's ambitious program.
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Eva Nurcahyani said the program must be stopped first to prevent greater public losses. "The government must immediately stop the implementation of the MBG [program] so that it does not continue to cause greater losses to the public", said Nurcahyani at the ICW offices in Jakarta on Tuesday September 23.
Nurcahyani believes that the implementation of the MBG program thus far has been poorly managed and lacks accountability. She stated that the MBG has repeatedly harmed the public, leading to a surge in poisoning cases.
"After being halted, a comprehensive evaluation involving the public, especially students, teachers, parents and civil society groups, is needed", she said.
Nurcahyani emphasised that a comprehensive evaluation is crucial to ensure more thorough program planning with independent, transparent and accountable oversight mechanisms in the future.
"As well as ensuring that the program is truly oriented towards the needs of the people, not the political or economic interests of the elite", she said.
Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) National Coordinator Ubaid Matraji echoed this sentiment. He also called for the MBG program to be halted. "It's time to stop it now, do a total evaluation", said Matraji.
Matraji said that an evaluation of the MBG program is crucial. He believes the MBG system and management are problematic.
"The mistakes are once again not at the kitchen level, but at the BGN [National Nutrition Agency] level, the system is at the top and no one can control the BGN except the president. Because this is the president's favourite program", he said.
Poisoning cases involving beneficiaries of the MBG program have recently attracted public attention. The JPPI has recorded a drastic spike in cases recently, reaching over a thousand in just one week.
On September 14 there were 5,360 cases of MBG poisoning. As of September 21, this number had risen to 6,452, an increase of 1,092.
The five provinces with the highest number of MBG poisoning cases are West Java with 2,012 cases, Yogyakarta with 1,047 cases, Central Java with 722 cases, Bengkulu with 539 cases and Central Sulawesi with 446 cases. (fra/mnf/fra)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Masyarakat Sipil Desak MBG Disetop Sementara: Evaluasi Total".]
