MBG Goes International
The National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which administers President Prabowo’s flagship free meal program, is back with another controversial move. This time, BGN Head Dadan Hindayana is reportedly exploring the possibility of bringing the MBG program to Indonesian schools in Jeddah and Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Such an expansion could help accelerate progress toward the government’s target of reaching 82.9 million beneficiaries. However, given the program’s ongoing operational issues at home, it does not seem like the right time for international expansion.
Prabowo in Paris: Episode 4
President Prabowo Subianto is visiting France for the fourth time since taking office, and for the third time this year alone. The unusual frequency of these visits has drawn public attention, particularly because such high-level diplomacy is expected to produce reciprocal benefits for both countries. Yet, the relationship appears asymmetrical, with tangible returns for Indonesia still not fully evident.
When Rp100 Billion Feels Personal
In celebration of Eid al-Adha 2026, President Prabowo Subianto distributed 1,098 sacrificial cows worth Rp 100 billion, funded through the state budget. In other words, the cattle were purchased with public money, not from the president’s personal wealth. But the way the program was communicated and perceived has blurred that distinction, making it appear to many as a personal gift from the president to the public.
The right to forget, or the right to remember?
The adoption of the “right to be forgotten” in the revision of the Human Rights Law has reopened a difficult question: in a democracy, who gets to decide what society deserves to remember?
Human rights without teeth
Indonesia’s proposed revision to the Human Rights Law is officially described as an effort to modernize and strengthen the country’s human rights framework. Yet the growing backlash from activists, academics, and National Commission on Human Rights itself suggests a very different interpretation: the state may be weakening one of the last independent institutions capable of scrutinizing government power.
The politics of blaming customs
The government’s latest signal that some functions of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise may eventually be shifted to the newly formed Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia (DSI) is more than a bureaucratic adjustment. It reflects a deeper political strategy unfolding inside the state.
Extending Listyo?
The debate over revising Police Law has been framed as a bureaucratic adjustment. Officials say the retirement age of police officers should be extended because many citizens live longer, while the police deserve parity with the military and civil service. Who controls the succession of the most powerful security institution?
MBG: High Ambition, High Risk
Beyond its goal of improving nutritional outcomes, the MBG program was also expected to boost regional economies by involving MSMEs and local suppliers. However, behind this ambitious vision, the National Corruption Prevention Strategy (Stranas PK) team has identified several governance vulnerabilities that, if left unaddressed, could develop into serious problems.
Safety or surveillance
The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) plans to require users to provide mobile phone numbers when creating social media accounts. The objective is clear: to strengthen identity verification and enhance accountability for the content users share online. Yet the implications may extend far beyond its stated goals.
Reassessing the MBG Budget
In the latest “APBN KITa” press conference held on Tuesday (19/05), Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa signaled a readjustment of the 2026 budget for the MBG program. He noted that President Prabowo Subianto had previously instructed the government to reduce the program’s allocation from Rp 335 trillion to Rp 268 trillion, and hinted that further cuts remain under consideration.