PDI Perjuangan Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto concerned about MBG corruption case

Hasto Kristiyanto, Secretary-General of the PDI Perjuangan party, has voiced deep concern regarding the alleged corruption case surrounding the "Makan Bergizi Gratis" (MBG) program, which has led to three former leaders of the National Nutrition Agency being named suspects. Hasto affirmed the party's support for the ongoing legal proceedings by the Attorney General's Office.

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So we are very, very concerned and we support all law enforcement efforts.

"So we are very, very concerned and we support all law enforcement efforts," Hasto said. He suggested that the corruption could have been prevented if authorities had paid attention to critical public feedback from the outset. "So when the Attorney General's Office, and also the Corruption Eradication Commission in other corruption cases, if they had listened to the aspirations from critical voices, it could have been prevented from the beginning."

The PDI Perjuangan has reportedly issued internal directives prohibiting party members from engaging in any commercialization of programs intended for the public. "Therefore, from PDI Perjuangan, from the beginning when we saw something was wrong, we issued an instruction prohibiting all PDI Perjuangan members from being involved in various commercializations of programs for the people," Hasto explained.

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So when the Attorney General's Office, and also the Corruption Eradication Commission in other corruption cases, if they had listened to the aspirations from critical voices, it could have been prevented from the beginning.

Previously, the Attorney General's Office identified former Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, along with former Deputy Heads Sony Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung, as suspects. The investigation revealed that the MBG program, which should have been managed by foundations affiliated with recipient schools, saw many partnerships awarded to entities with ties to BGN officials. These foundations reportedly lacked the necessary qualifications to be program partners. Furthermore, the suspects are accused of inflating prices during procurement, leading to financial losses that did not support the program's operations. Specific instances of overpricing include electric motorcycles valued at Rp1.03 trillion, shoes, tablets, and large televisions.

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Therefore, from PDI Perjuangan, from the beginning when we saw something was wrong, we issued an instruction prohibiting all PDI Perjuangan members from being involved in various commercializations of programs for the people.