One Million Supporters of Free Meal Program Plan Major Rally in Jakarta

A coalition of partners and volunteers involved in Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program is preparing a massive demonstration in Jakarta, expecting up to one million participants.

The group, calling itself the Presidium of Volunteers, Partners, and Supporters for MBG Sustainability, plans to gather at the Horse Statue in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. Their primary objective is to voice strong support for the program's continuation amid various controversies that have recently surfaced.

Ahmad Yazdi, the coordinator for the Presidium, stated that the demonstration is a crucial show of public backing for the MBG initiative. Participants will include kitchen staff from nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPG), program partners, suppliers, volunteers, farmers, and beneficiaries' parents. The attendees are expected to come from across Indonesia, including Lampung, South Sumatra, Aceh, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi, not just Jakarta and its surrounding provinces.

“

The action is carried out as a form of support for the sustainability of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program amidst various polemics that have recently emerged.

During the rally, the Presidium plans to present four key demands. Firstly, they seek to reaffirm support for the MBG program as a strategic initiative for achieving the "golden generation" by 2045 and promoting equitable economic growth. Secondly, they urge the leadership of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to promptly facilitate a focus group discussion involving all stakeholders, including partners, suppliers, and volunteers, who claim they have not been consulted on program governance improvements. Thirdly, they call on the government to expedite the operationalization of SPPG kitchens in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions, noting that MBG services in these areas are still lacking, hindering national nutritional equity. Finally, the group is pressing the House of Representatives (DPR) to swiftly draft a law specifically for the MBG program, providing a legal framework and certainty for all involved parties.

Yazdi also addressed claims of paid participants, explaining that providing transportation assistance to volunteers traveling to Jakarta to voice their aspirations is a reasonable facilitation.

“

If people want to come and voice their aspirations but do not have the funds, then they should be provided.