Prabowo defends MBG, cites transfer pricing and stunting
In a cabinet meeting, the president said criticism of MBG was out of proportion to attention on long-running economic leakages.
President Prabowo Subianto defended the Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) program against accusations of wasteful spending during the Full Cabinet Meeting at Istana Negara, Jakarta, on Monday (20/7). He said criticism of the program for children, pregnant women and the elderly was not matched by the limited scrutiny of economic leakages. Prabowo cited transfer pricing, under-invoicing, falsified trade reports and smuggling, which he said had drained Indonesia's wealth abroad for decades. He also linked MBG to efforts to reduce stunting, saying at least one-quarter of Indonesian children face the problem. The midyear cabinet meeting was held to assess the performance of the Merah Putih Cabinet ahead of the president's state address in August 2026.