MBG Program Achieves 99.99 Percent Success, President Prabowo Calls for Zero-Defect Service Quality Improvement
West Java – President Prabowo Subianto stated that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program has demonstrated highly significant achievements, with a success rate reaching 99.99 percent. Nevertheless, the government emphasized that it will not be complacent and will continue to push for improvements in service quality to achieve a zero-defect standard, meaning error-free implementation. President Prabowo conveyed this during an early-year briefing at a retreat held at his residence in Hambalang, Bogor, on Tuesday (January 6).
In his remarks, the President stressed that this achievement is the result of hard work across ministries, institutions, and regional governments involved in implementing the large-scale national program. According to him, while the success deserves appreciation, it must not weaken the drive for continuous improvement.
“We are grateful that, if we look at the statistics objectively, it can be said that we are 99 percent successful. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, zero defect is what we must aim to achieve,” Prabowo said.
President Prabowo acknowledged that in a program as large as MBG, shortcomings and irregularities cannot be entirely avoided. However, these should not be used as an excuse to lower service standards for the public. For this reason, the government is committed to continuously tightening oversight and conducting ongoing evaluations.
“Are there shortcomings? Yes. In an undertaking of this scale, there will inevitably be shortcomings. Are there deviations? Certainly. In an undertaking of this scale, there will inevitably be shortcomings and deviations,” he stated.
The President also emphasized that various safeguard measures have been and will continue to be implemented to close gaps in the execution of the MBG program. These interventions include strengthening distribution governance, improving the quality of food ingredients, and conducting direct field supervision.
“We continue to take safeguarding measures. But the key point is that we intervene,” Prabowo remarked.
Currently, the Free Nutritious Meal program has reached approximately 55 million beneficiaries since it was first launched on January 6, 2025. President Prabowo described this figure as a major achievement when compared to similar programs in other countries. For example, Brazil has only managed to reach around 40 million beneficiaries after 11 years of implementation.
“This shows that our nation is capable of moving quickly when there is political will and clear alignment in favor of the people,” he said.
Furthermore, the President explained that the MBG program was launched in response to fundamental issues related to child nutrition in Indonesia. Based on government data, around one in five Indonesian children still suffers from undernutrition, and tens of millions of children go to school without breakfast.
“This condition is considered a form of malnutrition that contributes to stunting and affects the quality of human resources in the future,” he explained.
On that occasion, President Prabowo also recalled a message from Indonesia’s first President, Soekarno, regarding the urgency of addressing hunger. A responsible leader, he noted, must work hard to eliminate hunger and poverty as the foundation for a more advanced and competitive Indonesia.
“I remember the words of our predecessors, one statement from Bung Karno: the hungry stomach cannot wait. A hungry stomach cannot wait,” Prabowo concluded.
