Why Indonesia cannot afford to scrap Prabowo’s free meals programme
The Indonesian government is overhauling President Prabowo Subianto's $15 billion free meal program following corruption allegations and public pressure. Officials are attempting to salvage the initiative, which aims to combat malnutrition, rather than canceling it to avoid political embarrassment.
Why it matters
The program is a flagship policy for the administration, and its struggle with transparency and corruption reflects broader challenges in managing large-scale social welfare initiatives in Indonesia.
As it was Prabowo’s signature campaign promise, dropping the programme could prove ‘embarrassing’ to the president, experts say
The report balances the government's stated goals with critical reporting on corruption and administrative failures.
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