JAKARTA, The Kabar News—University of Indonesia Student Executive Board (BEM UI) Deputy Chair Fathimah Azzahra has criticized what she described as the government’s narrow focus on the Free Meals (MBG) program and Red-and-White Village Cooperatives (KDMP). She argued that other campaign commitments and unresolved public problems require equal attention.

Fathimah delivered the criticism during the Rosi program on Kompas TV on Thursday, Oct. 29. She was responding to remarks by Poverty Alleviation Acceleration Agency head Budiman Sudjatmiko. He spoke about demands raised by students and civil society groups during a demonstration at Jakarta’s Bundaran Hotel Indonesia (HI) a day earlier.

“One thing that may be hurting the public is the impression that the government’s promises stop at MBG and KDMP, as though the other promises do not exist,” Fathimah said.

MBG refers to the government’s Free Meals program. Meanwhile, KDMP is the Indonesian abbreviation for the Red-and-White Village and Urban Community Cooperatives program (Kopdes Merah Putih).

Fathimah said the government should not allow its flagship programs to overshadow persistent problems in education. She pointed to damaged school buildings and the financial difficulties facing nonpermanent teachers.

“One of the issues now causing concern is education. The president, as the person running the country, must also carry out the mandate to educate the nation,” she said.

Fathimah cited schools in some regions that had received interactive digital screens but their buildings lacked adequate walls.

“We see schools in the regions receiving touchscreen televisions when their walls are not even intact. That is deeply concerning,” she said.

She also questioned why successive political candidates repeatedly promised to improve the welfare of nonpermanent teachers. So far, they have not produced changes that affected them directly.

“Why do honorary teachers always become a campaign talking point in presidential debates but are forgotten again after the candidates win?” Fathimah said. “People feel hurt because they receive repeated promises that never materialize.”

Fathimah separately raised the campaign pledge to create 19 million jobs. She said the public had yet to see sufficiently clear and current evidence of progress toward the target. Her comments represented a student leader’s policy assessment rather than an independently measured view of the entire population.

The government maintains that MBG addresses nutrition problems and supports long-term human development. National Nutrition Agency (BGN) data showed that the program had reached 56.99 million beneficiaries by Aug. 31, or 76.45 percent of its revised target of 74.56 million.

The agency reported that MBG had used Rp139.77 trillion, or 63.89 percent of its available Rp218.77 trillion budget, by Sept. 16. It said it was improving beneficiary targeting and strengthening food-service readiness after removing 1,653 educational institutions from the recipient list. The figures appear in the agency’s September budget report.

President Prabowo Subianto has also presented Kopdes Merah Putih as a way to strengthen village economies and shorten supply chains. In August, he said 10,000 cooperatives had started operating. However, only 3,300 had reached what the government classified as optimal operation. The administration targeted 30,000 fully functioning cooperatives by the end of 2026.

The official data show that both programs have reached a substantial scale. Fathimah’s criticism, however, centers on priority-setting. She argues that highly visible flagship initiatives should not displace action on school infrastructure, teacher welfare and employment commitments.