Academia
Dadan Hindayana (center), former head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) that oversees the free nutritious meal program, is escorted by Attorney General's Office (AGO) officers and Indonesian Military personnel on June 3 as he leaves the AGO building in Jakarta. The AGO named Dadan and two former BGN deputies as graft suspects pertaining to the procurement and partnering foundation appointment for the program, a day after they were removed over concerns including food quality. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is reaching a critical junction, burdened by systemic corruption, opaque procurement and severe leadership instability. Tasked with executing President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program for nearly 90 million children, the agency has cycled through three different heads in less than two months. This rapid turnover is a warning sign: An institution attempting to scale overnight for a massive multibillion-dollar policy must establish airtight safeguards against graft and political patronage if it hopes to deliver on its promise.The early governance shocks began when inaugural BGN chief Dadan Hindayana, alongside two deputies, was ousted and arrested by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) over alleged procurement corruption. His deputy Nanik Sudaryati Deyang took over as the new head to stabilize the agency, only to step down 45 days later amid her own legal wrangles, paving the way for Sudaryono.
