Jakarta — Prabowo Subianto, the President-elect for the 2024-2029 term, wants to ensure the program for providing free nutritious meals to school children is executed efficiently without any leakage.
How this will be realized was thoroughly discussed in an exclusive interview with tvOne titled “Prabowo Subianto Speaks for Indonesia,” aired on Wednesday evening (22/5).
Prabowo stated that the budget for the nutritious meal program for students has been calculated and he is optimistic about its realization.
“We have calculated that we are capable. The issue of organization is something we are still considering—whether it requires a special ministry or just an agency. I think it’s not about the organization but rather about the scheme, the system, to ensure it reaches the children accurately,” explained Prabowo.
Prabowo mentioned that he is making efforts to ensure there are no leaks in the program’s implementation during his administration.
“The issue is, I have been discussing this for a long time, there is a phenomenon as a nation that we are aware of many leaks in our country. Now, how do we create a scheme that is efficient and good, with no leakage reaching our children,” Prabowo said.
Regarding the distribution of free milk that will be given to children throughout Indonesia, it will also be conducted according to the typology of each region.
Prabowo gave an example of a specific area in Southwest Maluku, Moa Island, which often produces buffalo milk. Therefore, it is not difficult to obtain milk production accessible to children in the Moa region.
“And about milk, yes. We will see that it depends on the region, for example in Southwest Maluku, Moa Island, they have many dairy buffaloes, buffalo there are enough, there are also regions with many Etawa goats, from which goat milk can be obtained, and we must consider this,” explained Prabowo.
Meanwhile, in other regions where it is difficult to obtain milk sources, focus can be shifted to the equitable distribution of other nutritious foods, such as fish and eggs.
“When looking at the proteins in milk, it turns out that the proteins and minerals and nutrients in eggs are better than in milk, the experts tell me, and eggs could be cheaper in some areas where milk is too expensive, so we focus on eggs, fish, and so forth,” continued Prabowo.
Therefore, Prabowo emphasized that the distribution of nutritious food and free milk to children in Indonesia will be flexible according to the typology of each region.
“So, we must adapt our plans to the different typologies and conditions of regions. We cannot apply one uniform pattern across Indonesia; there are mountainous areas, coastal areas, islands. So, we must always be flexible, the important thing is that our children get nutritious food. I think that’s our goal,” concluded Prabowo.