Indonesia Fires National Nutrition Agency Chief and Prosecutors Raid Headquarters as Free Meals Programme Crisis Deepens
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto fired the head of the National Nutrition Agency in Jakarta on Tuesday evening, June 2, citing governance failures and food quality lapses in the administration of his flagship free school meals programme. Hours later, investigators from the office of Indonesia’s Attorney General raided the headquarters of the National Nutrition Agency in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said, with the building locked down and employees barred from entering. The Attorney General’s Office declined to say what was being investigated. The Jakarta Post
“There are issues relating to discipline in implementing governance, including discipline in maintaining food quality standards, that should have been established by the National Nutrition Agency,” State Secretariat Minister Prasetyo Hadi told reporters late on Tuesday. aol
The Sacking and Replacement
Dadan Hindayana, an entomologist who led the agency since it was established, will be replaced by his deputy Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, a former journalist and member of Prabowo’s 2024 election campaign team. BusinessWorld
Just days before his removal, Dadan had proposed expanding the free meal programme to Saudi Arabia, following a visit to the Indonesian School in Jeddah during his return journey from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage. He said students and teachers at the school had expressed interest in the programme and that he would report the idea to the president. The proposal drew immediate domestic criticism, given the scale of unresolved safety and quality problems inside Indonesia. yahoo
Prasetyo told reporters the government remained committed to the programme. “Services to the public must not be disrupted in any way,” he said after confirming the firing. Nation Thailand
The Raid
Two sources, requesting anonymity, told Reuters that Attorney General’s Office personnel raided the building at 2:00 a.m. Jakarta time on Wednesday in multiple vehicles. The building remained under lockdown at 11:00 a.m., and employees who were meant to report for duty were not allowed to enter the premises. aol
One employee said the raid took place on the second floor of the building, where the agency’s top leadership sits. Employees waiting outside told Reuters they were unsure what was happening. aol
Mochamad Jeffry, the Attorney General’s Office’s acting spokesperson, confirmed the search was ongoing but did not disclose what case was being investigated in connection with it. Nation Thailand
Food Poisoning on a Mass Scale
The school meals scheme has faced scrutiny after reports of food poisoning affecting at least 33,000 children as of April, according to the NGO Network for Education Watch. BusinessWorld
The government says it has provided meals to more than 61 million people by March, but tens of thousands of people have fallen ill since the programme was launched in January 2025. Earlier in the year, hospital wards filled with children in visible distress as poisoning cases spread across multiple provinces, with West Java recording the highest number of victims. The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network called on Prabowo in March to suspend the programme and conduct a thorough evaluation, saying child safety must be placed above political goals. yahoo
The free meals programme has come under close scrutiny since its launch in January 2025, with investors wary of Prabowo’s big spending plans and worried that fiscal deficit thresholds could be challenged. Officials said investors had also raised concerns over the fiscal burden of large-scale welfare spending, including the programme. aolBusinessWorld
Scale and Cost of the Programme
The programme was a key part of Prabowo’s campaign to win the presidency in 2024, and the government has budgeted at least $15 billion for an ambitious bid to provide free meals to 83 million children and pregnant women across the sprawling archipelago. Total spending on the programme is expected to reach $28 billion through 2029. The Jakarta PostNation Thailand
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has sacked the head of the National Nutrition Agency which runs his flagship $20 billion free school-meals programme, an official said, citing governance and food quality concerns, the New Straits Times reported. The Star
Background
The National Nutrition Agency was formed on August 15, 2024, and had an annual budget of 71 trillion rupiah — approximately $4.5 billion — for 2025. The programme was central to Prabowo’s presidential election campaign, presenting free nutritious meals as a policy instrument to fight malnutrition and raise living standards across Indonesia’s 282 million-person population. Prabowo himself said in an earlier exchange with reporters that there were “bound to be shortcomings at the beginning of the programme” and urged caution against what he described as politicisation of the food safety cases. The Jakarta Post reported that allegations of budget misuse had accompanied the poisoning controversy throughout the agency’s nearly two years of operation. aolOEDigital
What Happens Next
The Attorney General’s Office said the search of the National Nutrition Agency’s headquarters was still in progress as of Wednesday, June 3, without confirming whether a formal criminal investigation had been opened. The Presidential Palace said the leadership change at the agency would not affect implementation of the free meals programme, with Nanik Sudaryati Deyang expected to take over the role immediately. Whether the Attorney General’s raid leads to criminal charges against agency officials or former chief Dadan Hindayana has not been confirmed by prosecutors. Investors will be watching for any signal that fiscal discipline at the programme is tightening, given ongoing concern that Prabowo’s welfare spending could push the government’s deficit beyond permissible thresholds. Nation Thailand + 2
