President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiative, the free nutritious meals program, began in January and has drawn attention due to various implementation challenges across regions.
Issues have arisen regarding budget allocation, menu choices, and the readiness of catering providers.
Addressing these concerns, Dr. Revrisond Baswir, a senior economist from UGM’s Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB UGM), stated that this program is an extraordinary breakthrough that should have been started long ago.
“The nutritious meal program is an extraordinary breakthrough in my view. Why? Because it asserts that the essence of development is human development,” he said during an interview at his home on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
Dr. Baswir further explained that development should not be separated from people, as many often think that development and people are unrelated.
But in reality, they go hand in hand and influence each other.
From an economic standpoint, Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia clearly mandates that the nation carry out what is referred to as economic democratization.
Therefore, the people should be positioned as subjects, not merely objects, within the Indonesian economy.
Operationally, this means that people as subjects must have access to means of production and capital to support economic growth.
“In Indonesia, it’s not enough for the people to just be workers,” he clarified.
Dr. Baswir identified three types of capital that people should possess: intellectual, institutional, and material capital.
These should be fulfilled sequentially, starting with intellectual capital, which can be cultivated through the nutritious meal program.
Furthermore, he added, this program can empower people, especially those in regions outside the capital. Indonesia’s varied regional conditions cannot be treated the same.
Dr. Baswir believes that the free nutritious meals program can lead to decentralization, where local governments manage the program based on their region’s specific conditions.
This would allow the circulation of money to stay within the regions, helping to balance the local economy.
Additionally, this opens up opportunities to empower local communities by recruiting people through cooperation, volunteerism, and various job opportunities related to the program.
However, he emphasized that this program should not burden the people or local budgets.
“Don’t just shift the responsibility to the regions because (they) don’t have the funds. The program is significant, and some are worried—what is the maximum allocation limit?” Dr. Baswir asked.
The economist, who is also the former head of UGM’s Center for People’s Economy Studies, urged the government to save money, avoid wastefulness, and be more selective in spending.
The government should find ways to increase revenue to fund the program without resorting to borrowing or cutting other budget areas that would burden the people.
“The people should not become the victims. The challenge is to provide nutritious meals at an affordable cost,” he added.
One cost-saving measure the government could take is dissolving unnecessary institutions, particularly within the government.
He said many of these institutions are not essential but continue to receive funding that could be better allocated to this program.
Finally, he reminded the public that sovereignty lies in the hands of the people. Citizens should not remain passive about government policies, as their voices are essential in a country that belongs to them.
“People often feel like beggars in the economic field, but it’s their right. This program is part of their basic human rights, not just political and social rights,” he emphasized.
According to him, the program is not an act of government charity but rather a fulfillment of the people’s basic human rights. Therefore, he hopes that the people will become more aware of their role and actively participate by voicing their opinions and ideas.
Author: Leony
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang
Photographs by: Jelita