JakartaPost-July 1 7, 2026
President Prabowo Subianto is reassessing two of his flagship programs, signaling a possible shift in the rollout of the free nutritious meal and Red and White cooperative programs, amid persistent controversies and growing public scrutiny surrounding his costly initiatives. The possible changes became a key topic of discussion during his meeting on Wednesday at the Palace with several cabinet members whose portfolios are related to the implementation of the two programs, including those of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) in charge of running the free meals initiative. Speaking after the four-hour closed-door meeting, BGN deputy chief Agustina Arumsari said the President has instructed the agency to conduct a thorough, careful review of how the free meals program is implemented at schools, with a one-month deadline to complete the assessment. “The President asked that every policy be thoroughly studied […] He wants the improvements to be fair and not done hastily,” she said. The review will focus on assessing eligibility criteria for beneficiaries, with the government considering excluding higher-income groups and evaluating how such changes would be implemented in schools with mixed-income student populations. “We don’t want a situation where some students receive meals while others in the same [classroom] do not […]. The President asked us to consider the psychological aspects and every other implication before making a decision,” Agustina said. She also said the government was reviewing alternative ways to deliver the program, including the possible use of school canteens instead of relying exclusively on free meal kitchens as currently constituted. The President’s instructions signaled a possible redesign of the program, with the government moving toward more targeted assistance for the country’s most vulnerable communities and a less centralized model for delivering meals.
The program, which has been budgeted at least Rp 268 trillion rupiah (US$19.5 billion) in 2026, is aimed at providing free food to around 83 million beneficiaries, including schoolchildren and pregnant women. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/07/17/prabowo-orders-reviews-of-flagship-programs-signals-possible-shift?utm_source=(direct)&utm_medium=home_latest.
