By Dorian Malovic (Asia regional correspondent in Tokyo)
Barely two months after taking office, President Prabowo Subianto has delivered on his promise. On Jan 6, his government began an ambitious program worth over $4 billion to provide free nutritious meals to tens of millions of schoolchildren and pregnant women nationwide. “This is historic for Indonesia, which is implementing a national nutrition program for toddlers, students, pregnant women, and nursing mothers for the first time,” said presidential spokesperson Hasan Nasbi Jan 5.
“Prabowo made this promise during his campaign last year,” said Dagur, a 40-year-old Catholic journalist born in Flores and now living in the suburbs of Jakarta. “At the time, I thought it was a very populist proposal, and I didn’t trust him,” added the investigative reporter specializing in social issues. “But I must admit he has launched this project very quickly, and it addresses a real urgency for a country plagued by extreme poverty.”
A program to combat inequality
The program aims to tackle stunting, which affects 21.5 percent of children in the archipelago of approximately 282 million people. Indonesia hopes to reduce this rate to 5 percent by 2045. The government has allocated 10,000 rupiah (0.62 US cents) per meal, with a total program budget of 71 trillion rupiah ($4.39 billion) for the 2025 fiscal year. The long-term goal is to provide meals to nearly 83 million people by 2029.
“On paper, Indonesia is a very, very wealthy country,” explained Jesuit Father Setyo Wibowo, who travels frequently across various parishes in the country. “We have natural resources like gas, coal, nickel, and gold. Yet, a minority continues to grow richer while the poor become increasingly impoverished.” Despite being the largest economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, with a growth rate of 5.3 percent, Indonesia faces significant wealth disparities. ASEAN comprises 10 member states. Founded in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines, it was later joined by Brunei, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, and Cambodia.
According to the NGO Oxfam, “Indonesia has become the sixth country with the largest wealth inequality in the world.” On Jakarta’s major avenues, numerous women with babies in their arms are often seen begging. “This is also the reality of Indonesia,” said Father Wibowo.
Concerns over a limited and temporary effort
The government has stated that the program will prioritize the poorest and most isolated regions in this Southeast Asian archipelago. However, initial trials at the end of 2024 were mostly conducted in urban centers, and “the evaluations have not been made public,” noted Tan Shot Yen, a Jakarta-based nutritionist and physician, speaking to AFP. “I hope this program is not just a temporary charitable effort to fulfill political promises,” she said.
Similar concerns are shared by Ayu, a Catholic actively involved in several charitable organizations, and uses only one name. “This initiative is commendable,” she acknowledged, “but offering one free meal a day will not be enough to address the poverty and unemployment affecting millions of Indonesians living below the poverty line (over 40 million people, editor’s note). It would be better to find ways to redistribute our country’s immense wealth more equitably, as it currently benefits only a minority.” – La Croix International
