Rumah Pemilu Indonesia Election Portal
The free lunch and free milk programs promoted by presidential and vice presidential candidates Prabowo-Gibran are considered to require careful consideration in their implementation. However, last week a free lunch program simulation was held at SMP Negeri 2 Curug, Tangerang, Banten, under the coordination of Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto, with a lunch cost per child of 15 thousand rupiah. This program was also discussed at President Joko Widodo’s cabinet meeting at the Palace and will be included in the 2025 budget plan.
“The purpose of free lunch must be clear first; if it is for stunting, it is certainly not appropriate because stunting is for children under 2 years of age. So what needs to be intervened is not schoolchildren, but young adults who are ready to start a family and then ensure that they have adequate nutrition so that their children are born healthy,” said Founder of the Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) Diah Saminarsih in the KBR Public Space entitled “Critical Review of the Free Lunch Program,” Jakarta (5/3).
Diah said that the amount of 15 thousand rupiah must also take into account the nutritional value of the food; otherwise, she said it would have an impact on other nutritional problems. Diah explained that currently Indonesia is facing a triple burden of malnutrition, namely malnutrition, thinness or wasting, and excess nutrition or obesity.
“So don’t put out the fire in one place but fan the fire in another; that’s why evidence-based policy is important,” said Diah.
The source of the budget for the free lunch program is widely questioned because it will drain hundreds of trillions of rupiah. Manager of Law and Democracy at the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA), Gulfino, views that the government’s discussion of the lunch program for 2025 seems rushed because even now the election process has not been completed and the KPU has not officially announced the election winner.
“As a country of law, every decision must be accompanied by legal processes.” On the other hand, currently there is still a shortage of basic necessities that has not been resolved,” said Gulfino.
According to Gulfino, this policy must start with budget clarity, not cutting budgets that are sustainable and already have an impact. It is also important to ensure that the legal and institutional umbrella that manages the program can also be productive. He said the program must cover nutritional, technical, and financial aspects. According to him, it becomes irrational when School Operational Assistance (BOS) funds are used for free lunches.
“400 trillion is equivalent to the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD) of 40 provinces, equivalent to DKI Jakarta.” In the meantime, from our perspective, it is not rational to carry out budget analysis in the near future, even if it has only been tested in a few places,” he explained. []
