Prabowo’s Nutrition Agency Shake-Up Reveals Deeper Structural Problems

By Made Supriatma for Fulcrum.sg, July 9, 2026

President Prabowo’s recent decision to replace Dadan Hindayana as head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) did little to address the serious structural problems plaguing the institution. Dadan had overseen the administration’s flagship Free Nutritious Meals programme (or MBG, Makan Bergizi Gratis) but the policy remains deeply flawed in its design and implementation. Consuming nearly 7 per cent of Indonesia’s state budget, MBG has become one of the most controversial initiatives of the Prabowo administration. Policy analysts and protesters have pointed to the programme as contributing to Indonesia’s recent fiscal pressures. 

The most devastating blow came with the corruption charges against Dadan and his two BGN deputies, retired police major general Sonny Sonjaya and retired army major general Lodewijk Pusung. …

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• Behind Indonesia’s Budget Cuts: Political Deals and Fiscal Stresses By Tempo.co current affairs podcast Bocor Alus Politik, Contributors: Pramono, Rikang, Hussein, Francisca, and Egi, February 7, 2025
• Indonesia’s Budget Cuts Spark Reactions Across the Nation Based on reporting by Tempo.co contributors, February 18 to 21, 2025
• Feeding Ambition, Missing Precision: Rethinking Indonesia’s Free Meal Program, Universitas Gadjah Mada Faculty of Economics and Business, Faculty Insight, 16 October 2025, by Shofihawa
• https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2026/07/10/06470411/12-kasus-mega-korupsi-yang-ditangani-jampidsus-febrie-mbg-jiwasraya-hingga
• https://www.tempo.co/hukum/korupsi-mbg-pejabat-elite-bgn-2273612
• https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2026/07/16/16302311/legislator-pdi-p-cara-pelaksanaan-mbg-terbaik-adalah-pakai-dapur-sekolah