Indonesia
Society
President Prabowo Subianto inspects the implementation of the free nutritious meal program on June 2 at State Junior High School (SMPN) 111 Jakarta. (Courtesy of/The Palace's Press Bureau (BPMI))
Calls are growing to suspend and review President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meal program amid mounting concerns about persistent implementation problems, even as the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), under new leadership, moves to improve oversight.The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) recently flagged a number of shortcomings in the program, including ineffective implementation, a lack of transparency, recurring food poisoning incidents and weak emergency response mechanisms.
“Komnas HAM has found strong indications of human rights violations in the implementation of the free nutritious meal program,” commissioner Pramono Ubaid Tanthowi said in a statement on Monday, citing alleged violations of children's rights as well as the public rights to health, food, information and remedies for victims of food poisoning.
