JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Monday (June 8) appointed a new head of the agency responsible for implementing his flagship free meals programme, replacing the previous office holder who was dismissed and arrested on graft charges last week. Here are some key details about the inauguration:
* At the presidential palace, Prabowo appointed Nanik Sudaryati Deyang as the new head of the National Nutrition Agency, replacing her predecessor Dadan Hindayana, who was arrested last week on allegations of corruption linked to the free meals programme.
* Indonesia's Attorney General's Office (AGO) also arrestedtwo of the agency's deputy heads on charges of corruption leading to state losses.
* The three were accused of manipulating the selection of the foundations managing the programme's kitchens, and also artificially marking up the prices of electric motorbikes, shoes, and televisions procured as part of the programme.
* "Our concern is regarding budget efficiency so we will not burden the state budget, while at the same time maintaining the targets we have set," Nanik said after her inauguration.
* The efficiency measures include a moratorium on the establishment of new kitchens, "refocusing" the programme on new recipients and developing kitchens in remote areas through grants or CSR programmes from state firm or private companies, rather than the state budget, Nanik said.
* Prabowo also appointed two new deputy heads of the free meals agency: Agustina Arumsari, former deputy head of Financial and Development Supervisory Agency, and Major General Trenggono who has resigned from the Military.
* Prabowo also appointed the head of the Labour Party, Said Iqbal, as his new special advisor for manpower and labour welfare affairs.
* Prabowo's free meals programme, a key part of his election campaign launched in January 2025, has raised investor concerns about overspending and fiscal deficit risks.
* The programme has also sparked a public outcry about health and safety, with cases of food poisoningaffecting at least 33,000 children as of April, according to the Network for Education Watch, a non-government organisation. - Reuters
