Not from APBN! President Prabowo reveals the funding source behind MBG

Thekabarnews.com—President Prabowo Subianto defended the free meals program (MBG) against criticism by saying that it doesn’t waste taxpayer money. He made this statement during the groundbreaking ceremony for 1,072 nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPG), 18 food security warehouses, and the start of construction on 107 Polri-run SPPG facilities in Palmerah, West Jakarta, on Friday, February 13.

“They thought this project would fail. They said this program is a waste of money,” Prabowo said.

The president strongly denied that the state budget (APBN) is what MBG needs. He went on to say that the government paid for the program during his time in office by cutting the budget. 

“This money comes from cutting costs and saving. If we had not cut back on spending, corruption would have taken this money,” Prabowo said.

Prabowo says that the government stopped spending money on things that didn’t help the public, like meetings, seminars, conferences, and official visits. Because of this, the money saved from those cuts went to important programs like MBG.

Despite some smart people criticizing the program, Prabowo is confident in its purpose and function. He said that MBG is important for stopping stunting and making Indonesia’s young people better.

“I know we are on the right track. Our goals are good and needed,” the president then said.

The goal of the MBG program is to give kids and other at-risk groups all over the country healthy meals. In fact, the government sees it as a long-term investment in developing human capital. This fits with the country’s bigger goals of improving public health and economic productivity.

President Prabowo reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining fiscal discipline while prioritizing social programs that directly benefit the people as the debates continued. Moreover, the government says that funding based on how well things work is a sign of a responsible government instead of wasting money.