JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s coalition is facing growing tensions over his flagship free meals programme, following food poisoning incidents, alleged corruption and declining public support for the initiative.
Two political parties within the ruling coalition have decided to distance themselves from the programme after internal deliberations, while a third is concerned that the scheme could damage its electoral prospects, senior party members told Reuters.
The three parties collectively represent more than a quarter of the coalition’s 80 per cent majority in the House of Representatives. Prabowo’s Gerindra Party holds 15 per cent of the seats.
“Loyalty must also have limits,” a member of one of the parties said, adding that internal polling showed the party’s electability had declined between January and July.
The party member warned that the coalition could become fragile if the programme did not improve by mid-2027, potentially leading to further political divisions. Indonesia’s next elections are scheduled for early 2029.
Prabowo, who marks two years in office this week, has so far faced little parliamentary opposition. No lawmakers have voted against any bills proposed by the government, including members of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which is not formally part of the ruling coalition.
The free meals programme was a cornerstone of Prabowo’s election campaign. He pledged to provide nutritious meals to 83 million children and pregnant women, but repeated food poisoning incidents, logistical challenges and corruption allegations have raised concerns about the multibillion-dollar initiative.
A poll conducted by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) in early October found that about 62 per cent of respondents opposed the programme, while approval for Prabowo had fallen to its lowest level since he took office.
Prabowo’s approval rating has declined from 81 per cent in November last year to 66.4 per cent in March, 51 per cent in July and 44.5 per cent in October, according to SMRC.
Positive public opinion of the free meals programme also fell from 62 per cent last November to just over a third in the latest poll.
In June, authorities arrested a former head of the programme and two other officials on corruption charges. On Aug 31, dozens of families filed a police complaint against the government, marking the first legal action over the initiative, which began in January 2025.
Early last month, about 1,700 people fell ill in four separate incidents after consuming the meals. The total number of food poisoning cases linked to the programme had reached at least 57,000 since its launch.
The president’s office and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which oversees the initiative, did not respond to requests for comment.
Gerindra spokesperson Sugiat Santoso said the coalition remained strong and that the programme was not intended to secure electoral gains.
“Every political party has its own targets and we respect that ... Whatever their stance, related to free meals or not, supporting Prabowo or not, we respect it,” he said, adding that the BGN was working to improve the programme.
The National Mandate Party (PAN), another coalition member, said it remained committed to supporting the initiative. Any shortcomings should be addressed “systematically and collectively”, said its deputy chief, Viva Yoga Mauladi.
Other coalition parties did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
A senior member of a second coalition party said an increasing number of voters were complaining about the programme. The party had instructed its lawmakers to begin offering “constructive public criticism” of the scheme using “polite language”, the person said.
Both parties intend to raise their concerns publicly while pressing the government to improve the programme, according to the senior members.
Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka recently apologised publicly for the food poisoning incidents and visited some of the affected children.
Gibran is the son of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who defeated Prabowo in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections. Jokowi’s backing was instrumental in Prabowo’s eventual victory in 2024.
Prabowo has continued to defend the initiative. In February, he played down the food poisoning incidents, saying the number of cases was statistically insignificant.
“99.99 per cent of the programme can be considered successful,” he said.
In August, he pledged to improve its implementation.
“I am determined to continue the free nutritious programme but with improvements and efficiency,” he said.
The programme has created broader political pressure on coalition parties, with ministers from those parties facing criticism and attacks on social media when discussing the initiative, said Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a senior visiting fellow at Singapore’s Yusof Ishak Institute.
He said a failure of the scheme would be a “major blow” to Prabowo because it had been central to his 2024 election campaign.
Prabowo could make the programme more targeted to improve its manageability and reduce costs, Burhanuddin said. However, he added that the government had not significantly changed its universal approach, pointing to the substantial budget allocation planned for next year.
The government has allocated 240 trillion rupiah for the programme in 2027.
The difficulties surrounding the initiative come as Prabowo faces wider economic challenges, including the cost of living and a warning from index provider MSCI that it could exclude Indonesia from its stock market indices, potentially restricting the country’s access to international capital.
“Prabowo must demonstrate commitment and integrity, not only making statements,” said Mohammad Ezha Fachriza Roshady, an SMRC researcher.
