DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Jakarta residents rally for 'Free Nutritious Meal' program

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • An alliance of Jakarta residents demonstrated peacefully in Central Jakarta, demanding the continuation of the "Makan Bergizi Gratis" (MBG) program.
  • The protest was mobilized from the neighborhood level (RT) up to the village level (kelurahan), with participants emphasizing grassroots support.
  • Demonstrators, including mothers from PKK groups, called for improvements to the program's menu and urged against its discontinuation, highlighting its importance for children's nutrition.

An alliance of Jakarta residents held a peaceful demonstration in Central Jakarta on Monday, June 22, 2026, urging the government to continue the "Makan Bergizi Gratis" (MBG) program. The protest saw mobilization efforts spanning from neighborhood units (RT) to village administrations (kelurahan).

From Pak RT and the surrounding residents. All of us are from RT 1 to RT 7.

— AkmalDescribing the grassroots mobilization for the demonstration.

Akmal, a resident from Balimester Village in East Jakarta, stated that the attendees were invited by their neighborhood heads and residents. "All of us are from RT 1 to RT 7," Akmal said, underscoring the grassroots nature of the support. He added that the involvement of local officials in mobilizing residents demonstrated the serious attention the MBG program's continuation has garnered at the community level.

The demonstration also included mothers from the Pemberdayaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (PKK) group in Munjul Village, East Jakarta. Carrying banners that read, “We Mothers Support MBG. Please, don’t stop!” and “MBG Must Continue!!”, they arrived together via public transport. Suherti, a PKK member, explained their presence was to support MBG's advancement, particularly for its employees and cadres, and to assist malnourished toddlers.

Coordinated by the village as well.

— AkmalEmphasizing the role of local village administration in organizing the protest.

Suherti suggested that the program, a priority initiative of President Prabowo Subianto, could be improved by enhancing the quality of its menu. "The menu should be improved for better quality, so recipients are healthier, especially toddlers," she stated. The MBG 3B program, previously established by the National Nutrition Agency, targets pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and non-early childhood education toddlers, with distribution often managed by local health cadres or PKK cadres.

We Mothers Support MBG. Please, don’t stop!

— PKK MothersA slogan displayed on banners during the demonstration.

The peaceful protest aimed to show support for the MBG program, considered one of President Prabowo's flagship initiatives. Participants, many wearing white, demanded the program's continuation and the prosecution of those involved in alleged corruption within it. The demonstration concluded in the afternoon, following a wave of critical protests against the MBG program.

MBG Must Continue!!

— PKK MothersAnother slogan highlighting the demand for the program's continuation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog