October 18, 2025 | 05:49 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has warned his ministers and members of the Red and White Cabinet to maintain discipline, saying he will not hesitate to carry out a reshuffle if they disobey his directives or act improperly.
“If there are one or two who misbehave, I will give a warning. If they continue to disobey after the second warning, and still refuse to listen after the third, then a reshuffle must be done,” Prabowo said during the inauguration of new students and the graduation ceremony at the Universitas Kebangsaan Republik Indonesia (UKRI) in Bandung on Saturday, October 18, 2025, as broadcast on UKRI TV’s YouTube channel.
The president stressed that any decision to replace ministers would be made in the interest of the nation and its people.
“There should be no sympathy for those who fail to perform. Our sympathy must be for the Indonesian people, who are suffering,” he said.
Prabowo’s remarks came as he discussed the government’s Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, managed by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN).
He said the agency initially received a budget allocation of Rp71 trillion at the start of 2025, which was later increased by Rp100 trillion after the government managed to save Rp300 trillion through budget efficiency measures.
“We managed to save around Rp300 trillion from budget cuts,” Prabowo said, adding that the additional funding was intended to expand the MBG program.
However, Prabowo acknowledged that establishing 30,000 kitchens nationwide within a year had proven difficult. BGN Head Dadan Hindayana informed him that much of the added budget would not be used by the end of 2025 and subsequently returned Rp70 trillion to the central government.
“Dadan returned Rp70 trillion to the government, back to me,” Prabowo said, praising the official’s integrity.
“In history, very few officials return unused funds. Usually, by November, they look for ways to spend it. But Dadan has shown responsibility to the nation and the people.”
The president said the returned funds would be redirected to assist fishermen and rural communities. He also reiterated that he expects honesty and accountability from his ministers.
“My subordinates are capable, but I have warned them, if they misbehave, a reshuffle awaits. I don’t mind being disliked, as long as it’s not by the people. I don’t care if corruptors or cheaters hate me,” Prabowo said.
He further claimed that some corrupt groups might attempt to destabilize his administration. “Be careful, they have money and can pay for demonstrations. But what matters most is that the Indonesian people support me. I have no doubts about that,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) reported that, as of October 12, 2025, 11,566 children had suffered food poisoning allegedly linked to the MBG program.
The highest number of cases was recorded in West Java (4,125), followed by Central Java (1,666), Yogyakarta (1,053), East Java (950), and East Nusa Tenggara (800).
JPPI National Coordinator Ubaid Matraji urged the government to strengthen supervision and food safety standards in the program’s implementation.
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