Muhammadiyah Figure Calls Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meal Program Non-Transparent, Anti-Democratic

March 10, 2026 | 08:23 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Busyro Muqoddas, Head of the Legal, Human Rights, and Wisdom Division of the Muhammadiyah Central Leadership, stated that the Indonesian government's Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program is non-transparent and anti-democratic. He said the government is increasingly determined to force its program through a weak bureaucracy and without transparency or public participation.

According to Busyro, this is not the first time such actions have occurred, but have been carried out since the era of President Joko Widodo and have been increasingly strengthened by President Prabowo Subianto. "The MBG program is inseparable from the political culture we are experiencing, which is increasingly anti-democratic, anti-criticism, and anti-human rights," he said, appearing online at the Save Indonesian Education Coalition (Kospi) press conference at the Legal Aid Foundation (YLBH) office in Central Jakarta on Monday, March 9, 2026.

Busyro emphasized that it is not just the MBG program, but also other programs, such as the Red and White Village Cooperative and the establishment of Danantara, which are also being conducted behind closed doors.

The former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) commissioner described the MBG project's budget as enormous. He argued that with such a large budget, there is no transparency regarding procurement or partner appointments.

According to Busyro, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) should actively monitor the free nutritious meal program. However, he believes the KPK has been paralyzed since being weakened by Jokowi and House Speaker Puan Maharani. Therefore, the only viable option is a judicial review by civil society at the Constitutional Court. "I hope we can expand this judicial review in a more effective manner," he said.

Busyro, along with MBG Watch and Celios, will file a judicial review of the free nutritious meal program with the Constitutional Court on March 10, 2026.

Meanwhile, the Save Indonesian Education Coalition (Kospi) has launched a constitutional complaint channel for teachers to collect complaints from teachers affected by the free nutritious meal program.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Eva Nurcahyani stated that this constitutional complaint channel for teachers was created after the government cut the education budget for the MBG project through the 2026 State Budget Law. "By creating this complaint channel, we first want to monitor the continuity of the national education system properly and correctly, so that it is equitable and clear across all regions," Eva said.

Furthermore, this complaint channel ensures teacher welfare and helps improve the quality of learning. Eva explained that the channel can be accessed through bit.ly/pengaduankonstitusionalguru. All teachers and educational staff at various levels of education affected by government policies can access this channel. Furthermore, teachers with experience or information related to the impact of education budget policies can also contribute to this complaint channel.

"This data is used to document the real conditions experienced by teachers in the field, as material for education policy advocacy, and also to strengthen social evidence in the upcoming judicial review process at the Constitutional Court," Eva said.

All information, Eva said, will be used responsibly to ensure that education policies continue to support the quality of education and the welfare of educators.

The coalition also guarantees that the reporting teacher's data will only be used for advocacy purposes and guarantees the confidentiality of their data. This is done as part of its protection and to minimize risks for the reporting party.

As a transparency effort, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) requires MBG kitchens to upload their menus to social media. Not only the menu, but also the nutritional content and prices.

"If it were mandatory to upload to social media, it would at least create embarrassment. Every package must also include nutritional information and prices; this is a form of transparency and public accountability," said BGN Deputy Head Sony Sanjaya, as reported by Antara, Friday, March 6, 2026.

Read: Indonesia to Review Free Meal Budget as Oil Prices Hit $100

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