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Johannes Nugroho

Indonesia’s free meals programme has long been beset with governance problems, quality issues and mass food poisoning cases. Now, corruption allegations and the arrests of top former officials overseeing Prabowo Subianto’s flagship scheme risk turning it into a political hot potato for the president.
Prabowo sacked former National Nutrition Agency chief Dadan Hindayana and his two ex-deputies, Sonny Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung, on Tuesday. The trio were charged with corruption and taken into custody the following day.
“I was forced to replace those I loved, trusted,” Prabowo said in a video released by his office.
The president added that the billion-dollar initiative, launched last January to tackle stunted growth and malnutrition among schoolchildren, should not become a vehicle for self-enrichment.
He said he was aware of violations at the agency, though he disclosed no further details on the case, which has also prompted sarcasm and pointed questions on social media.
“The Chief Rat has done so much good that he’s been granted a new uniform and handcuffs,” one user wrote, referring to Dadan.
Said another: “Sacked and then arrested? What kind of law enforcement is this?”

Made Supriatma, a political analyst and visiting fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said the three arrested officials had essentially “taken the fall” in a “face-saving exercise” for the government.
“It doesn’t mean Dadan and the other two are innocent, but they are certainly taking the blame for the chief architect of the programme: the president himself.”
Made suggested that Prabowo might finally have recognised that the programme, which had catered to 61.2 million recipients as of March, was deeply unpopular and fast becoming a political liability.
From a welfare standpoint, he said the scheme never stood a chance because its design was “utterly flawed”, describing it as “a private enterprise at best and an electoral project at worst”. “It masquerades as a welfare programme,” he added.
The initiative, run through a network of 26,000 private contractors, has been plagued by substandard food quality, wastage and allegations of cronyism. Food poisoning outbreaks linked to the project had affected more than 33,000 children as of April, Reuters reported, citing the Network for Education Watch.
Made accused the administration of awarding kitchen contracts to individuals with opaque ties to government-linked entities and the ruling Gerindra party. “By having them benefit from the scheme, the president seeks to deepen their loyalty to him,” he said.


Prabowo ‘in a pickle’
Made drew parallels between Prabowo’s scheme and Posyandu, a programme launched under Suharto’s government in 1975 that he said yielded far better results.
Posyandu focused on educating parents about children’s nutrition, vaccinations and hygiene, alongside the limited distribution of healthy food.
“The difference is Posyandu actively sought out the participation of parents, who ran the kitchens, and was operated by village and local healthcare administrators at every level as operators,” Made said.
He added that financial constraints could force Prabowo to trim the scheme’s US$18.7 billion budget, though any cuts were unlikely to be severe given that contractors needed 14 months to break even.
Last month, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa announced a 20 per cent cut to the project’s budget for this year.

Prabowo now “finds himself in a pickle” but was unlikely to risk cancelling the scheme outright, Made said.
“He’s already in too deep. To scrap it entirely would amount to political suicide since it would wreak havoc with his support base.”
Gigih Prihantono, an economist at Surabaya’s Airlangga University, said the programme was draining more from government coffers than the mega infrastructure spending under former president Joko Widodo.
“Infrastructure still generates revenues for the government, while free meals are akin to cash handouts,” he said.
Gigih argued that the scheme had failed to create “real economic demand” because the government merely reallocated funds from one sector to another to keep it afloat.
Nanik S. Deyang, the nutrition agency’s chief-designate, defended the programme on social media, insisting that the contractor selection process was transparent and that it had “reinvigorated” the national economy by “pumping money into the real sector”.

Prabowo echoed that view. “The amount of money circulating in villages will be immense,” he said on Wednesday, according to state news agency Antara. “Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, I am confident and fully believe that this programme will succeed.”
Nanik declined to comment on Prabowo’s crackdown when contacted by This Week in Asia. “I haven’t been officially invested yet, so I’m unable to offer anything at this time,” she said.
Anisa Nur Fadhilah, a greengrocer in Surabaya who occasionally supplied a private contractor for the programme, said the arrangement was of little consequence.
“It’s nothing major and definitely not something regular. I heard they usually buy from major distributors because they can give them better prices.”


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Will Prabowo’s free meals scheme survive amid Indonesia corruption arrests?

Students have their meals during the launch of President Prabowo Subianto’s ambitious free meal scheme in Banten, Indonesia, on January 6. Photo: AP

Former National Nutrition Agency chief Dadan Hindayana sits inside a detention vehicle in Jakarta on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto. Photo: AP

A teacher inspects free meals for students at a school in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, last month. Photo: EPA

Prabowo’s overseas visits spark debate in Indonesia over benefits for citizens

France’s President Emmanuel Macron and France’s first lady Brigitte Macron welcome Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto ahead of a state dinner as part of Prabowo’s visit to Paris on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto speaks to reporters after inaugurating Rafale fighter jets and other weapons at an airbase in Jakarta on May 18. Photo: Reuters

Indonesia’s Danantara’s headquarters in Jakarta. The sovereign wealth fund is partnering with French defence giant Thales to build Indonesian defence systems. Photo: Reuters

France’s President Emmanuel Macron and Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto attend a joint press statement at the Élysée presidential palace in Paris on Thursday. Photo: EPA

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Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) personnel march during anniversary celebrations in Banda Aceh in 2024. Photo: AFP

Indonesian military personnel march during a ceremony marking the armed forces’ 80 anniversary in Jakarta in October 2025. Photo: EPA

Motorists enter a main road during rush hour in Jakarta on May 21. Jakarta police have formed a special, 24-hour joint patrol task force aimed at eradicating street robbers. Photo: AFP

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Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto speaks at the parliament complex in Jakarta, Indonesia, on May 20. Photo: Xinhua

A sign for Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara is seen in front of its headquarters in Jakarta. Photo: Reuters

Men load palm fruit onto a truck at a palm oil plantation in Indonesia. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa says 10 “major” crude palm oil producers are under scrutiny. Photo: AP

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The deepening crisis in the billion-dollar initiative threatens its future and the president’s political standing


The deepening crisis in the billion-dollar initiative threatens its future and the president’s political standing.


Prabowo Subianto

Will Prabowo’s free meals scheme survive amid Indonesia corruption arrests?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The deepening crisis in the billion-dollar initiative threatens its future and the president’s political standing

The deepening crisis in the billion-dollar initiative threatens its future and the president’s political standing