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View all search resultsPressure mounts to halt, review Prabowo’s free meals program
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President Prabowo Subianto inspects the implementation of the free nutritious meal program on June 2 at State Junior High School (SMPN) 111 Jakarta. (Courtesy of/The Palace's Press Bureau (BPMI))
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alls are growing to suspend and review President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meal program amid mounting concerns about persistent implementation problems, even as the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), under new leadership, moves to improve oversight.
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) recently flagged a number of shortcomings in the program, including ineffective implementation, a lack of transparency, recurring food poisoning incidents and weak emergency response mechanisms.
“Komnas HAM has found strong indications of human rights violations in the implementation of the free nutritious meal program,” commissioner Pramono Ubaid Tanthowi said in a statement on Monday, citing alleged violations of children's rights as well as the public rights to health, food, information and remedies for victims of food poisoning.
The commission warned that the program's broad rollout, aimed at fighting malnutrition and which had reached 61 million students and pregnant women nationwide by March, risks missing its intended targets. It argued the initiative would be more effective if focused on vulnerable groups in remote and underserved regions.
Komnas HAM called for a comprehensive evaluation and stronger monitoring mechanisms to ensure the program is “not solely focused on expanding the number of recipients, but also ensuring nutritional needs are met.”
The call came amid growing protests since last week, when university students across the country staged rallies demanding that the government halt the program.
Read also: Prabowo fires free meal agency chief after suggesting Saudi rollout
