Ken MP Setiawan, Melbourne, Australia – Indonesia faces a critical and multi-faceted health challenge: malnutrition. A 2024 UNICEF and Health Minister report paints a stark picture, one in 12 children under five are "wasted" (too thin for their height), and one in five are "stunted" (too short for their age).
These statistics, however, mask a deeper issue of regional inequality, with poorer provinces, especially in Eastern Indonesia, faring worse than their wealthier counterparts.
Consider this variance: in Maluku, 11.9 percent of children are stunted and/or wasted, compared to 2.8 percent in Bali. In an equally alarming but contrasting problem, significant numbers of Indonesian children also suffer from overnutrition (i.e. being overweight and obese) and micronutrient deficiency, or a lack of essential multivitamins and nutrients.
The consequences of this nutritional crisis are far-reaching, impacting not just young people's physical and cognitive health, but also the nation's economic future through reduced productivity and wages.
Enter Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia's newly elected president, with his nationwide free nutritious meals (MBG) program, costing Rp 71 trillion (US$4.4 billion) in the first year alone. Launched in January, it aims to provide meals to nearly 83 million people by 2029, focusing initially on school children and pregnant women. This populist policy has garnered widespread support, contributing to Prabowo's remarkably high 81 percent approval rating after his first 100 days in office.
However, the program's implementation has been far from smooth sailing. Reports of food poisoning have raised concerns about safety standards, while critics question the cultural appropriateness of meals and the program's ability to address varied nutritional needs.
Moreover, the centralized way the program is being implemented neglects the opportunity to promote the production and consumption of local food, which in turn can strengthen regional food supply chains and is essential to improving food security.
The financial sustainability of the initiative has also come under scrutiny, with the government reducing the cost per lunch from Rp15,000 to Rp 10,000 in November last year, followed by an additional cut in March to only Rp 8,000, or around 50 US cents. At such a low cost per meal, it raises significant concerns about the nutritional value and quality of the food provided, given the context of such severe budget cuts. To cover the ballooning costs of the program, the government has reallocated funds from other crucial sectors, most notably education.
But perhaps the most contentious aspect of this nutritional initiative is the prominent role given to the military in its implementation. From personnel deployment to infrastructure construction, the armed forces' involvement has been extensive. Prabowo, a former army general, justifies this by framing food security as a matter of national security.
This militarization of a civilian program is not an isolated incident. It is part of a broader trend of increasing military involvement in civilian affairs, exemplified by recent changes to the Indonesia Military (TNI) Law allowing active military personnel to serve in a wider range of government positions. Critics argue that this shift heralds a return to the authoritarian New Order era, raising concerns about potential abuses of power and human rights violations.
The military's resurgence in civilian spaces is not entirely new. Under previous administrations, the armed forces gradually re-entered civilian tasks, particularly in infrastructure development. However, the current administration has taken this a step further by institutionalizing the military's presence in civilian affairs, making it increasingly difficult to maintain a clear separation between military and civilian spheres.
While addressing malnutrition is undoubtedly crucial for Indonesia's future, the way in which it is being tackled raises serious questions. The blurring of lines between civilian and military domains, coupled with the potential for authoritarian overreach, presents a complex challenge for Indonesian democracy and human rights.
This type of tension, emerging from complex political and social contexts, is a topic further explored in a new book called 'The Routledge Handbook of Human Rights in Southeast Asia'. The book is co-edited by me and Amalinda Savirani from Universitas Gadjah Mada and will be launched this week as part of the major gathering of scholars at the 2025 Indonesia Council Open Conference at the University of Melbourne.
As Indonesia grapples with its nutritional crisis, it must also contend with the long-term implications of militarizing civilian programs. The free nutritious meal initiative, while well-intentioned, may come at a cost greater than its hefty price tag: the erosion of civilian control and the resurgence of authoritarian tendencies.
In the quest to nourish its people, Indonesia must be cautious not to starve its democracy. The balance between addressing immediate health concerns and safeguarding long-term democratic principles will be crucial in shaping the nation's future. As the free nutritious meal program rolls out across the archipelago, Indonesians must remain vigilant, ensuring that the military's involvement does not overshadow the initiative's primary goal: the health and well-being of the nation's most vulnerable citizens.
[The writer is senior lecturer in Indonesian studies and deputy director of the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute.]
Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2025/07/07/free-meals-and-military-might.htm