Indonesia’s free meals programme has long been beset with governance problems, quality issues and mass food poisoning cases. Now, allegations of corruption and the arrests of top former officials overseeing Prabowo Subianto’s flagship scheme risk turning it into a political hot potato for the president.
Prabowo sacked former National Nutrition Agency chief Dadan Hindayana and his two ex-deputies, Sonny Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung, on Tuesday. The trio were charged with corruption and taken into custody a day later.
“I was forced to replace those I loved, trusted,” he said in a video released by his office.
The president added that the billion-dollar initiative, launched last January to eradicate stunted growth and malnutrition among schoolchildren, should not become a vehicle for self-enrichment.
Prabowo said he was aware of violations at the agency, without disclosing further details on the case, which has also sparked sarcasm and questions on social media.
“The Chief Rat has done so much good that he’s been granted a new uniform and handcuffs,” a user said, referring to Dadan.