An 80-year-old man loses his house: The house became an MBG kitchen without his consent

Surabaya, Thekabarnews.com—What do you do when a national assistance program slowly becomes a personal nightmare? That issue now surrounds the case of Wawan Syarwhani, an 80-year-old man from Surabaya whose private home officials unexpectedly converted into a government-run kitchen for the Free Meals (MBG) program without his consent.

His residence used to be on a 536-square-meter piece of property at Jalan Teluk Kumai Timur No. 83A in the Pabean Cantian District. It does not look like a home anymore. The Port of Tanjung Perak Police now runs it as a nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPG).

Wawan says he never agreed to the demolition or change in use of his property. Even worse, he says that he has legal ownership.

“The house is owned by SHM. I bought it in a legitimate way. I have the Sale and Purchase Deed and a notarized document,” Wawan told reporters, Thursday, January 22.

Wawan said the house had been uninhabited since April 2025, yet it was locked up tight. Four months ago, neighbors told him that people had come onto his property and cut down trees. The noise was the first indicator of problems.

What he discovered next shocked him: workers had dismantled his house and rebuilt it as an MBG kitchen.

“This makes me question how authorities can repurpose a private residence without the owner’s knowledge,” he added.

The issue seems to be based on a long-standing allegation by PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) that it has a management rights certificate (HPL) over the land. Wawan, on the other hand, thinks that the legal fight was already over.

In 2017, he won a lawsuit against Pelindo for taking his land, and the decision became a permanent legal force (inkrah).

“The Surabaya District Court gave me two choices: I either stay in the house, or Pelindo could buy my property, but Pelindo never got back to me,” he said.

Wawan says police officers allowed people allegedly linked to Pelindo to fence off the land and cut the electricity, despite the absence of a court order to vacate the building.

Just this aspect alone raises concerns about the impartiality of the legal system and the neutrality of law enforcement.

Wawan had told the Surabaya Police about the crime since August 2025. He adds there has not been any follow-up.

He has also written to several organizations, such as the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), and even asked Danantara for legal protection.

“I urged BGN to revoke the SPPG permit because the kitchen stands on land with disputed legality. I have been waiting for an answer, but no one has answered yet,” he stated.

In a system based on legal certainty, silence can be worse than rejection. People talk a lot about the free meals program (MBG) as a beneficial way to fight malnutrition. But this instance highlights what can happen when public policy does not respect people’s rights.

It is never okay to use social services to take away someone’s legitimate ownership. Progress is not development without permission; it is dispossession.

This circumstance shows a bigger problem: a bureaucracy that does not have to answer to anyone. When authorities take an aged person’s legally owned home without notice, what protection do ordinary people really have?

Wawan is not looking for a fight, even though he is old and frustrated. He seeks recognition.

“I want my things back. That is great if the government wants to utilize it for an MBG kitchen, as long as there is compassionate communication and the right method,” he stated.

It is not only about land. It has to do with dignity. This case should worry anyone who believes in the rule of law. It shows how weak people are when governmental projects move quicker than the law can protect them.

Never should public welfare come before private justice. The government must engage in discussions to acquire land rather than seize it. The government must discuss matters thoroughly instead of resorting to surprises.

Today, however, the person involved is an 80-year-old man in Surabaya. It may be anyone tomorrow.