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View all search resultsPrabowo’s populist policies ‘disconnected’ from people’s needs
An observer argued that public resentment arise because the country’s leaders have lost “what Pope Francis calls the ethic of compassion particularly toward the daily suffering of the people."
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Bill Gates, accompanied by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, views meal boxes during their visit to a school to inspect the free nutritious meals program in Jakarta on May 7, 2025. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
A
s President Prabowo Subianto enters his second year in office, observers warn that his populist agenda is drifting further from the people it claims to serve, with policies growing detached from daily realities and criticism repeatedly falling on deaf ears.
Prabowo’s early leadership was marked by the rapid rollout of flagship programs aimed at delivering “real welfare and real prosperity,” as he pledged in his inaugural address at the House of Representatives on Oct. 20, 2024.
Among these is the free nutritious meal program, launched in January to provide nutritious meals to around 3 million schoolchildren. Eight months later, it has reached more than 30 million children, with the government targeting 83 million beneficiaries by year-end in a bid to help reduce stunting.
The President has praised the program’s rapid growth, citing Brazil, which took 11 years to reach 40 million recipients. Yet reports of foodborne illnesses linked to the program have raised concerns about the supervision of thousands of new kitchens, many of which lack required certifications from the Health Ministry.
Ardilla, 36, not her real name, initially welcomed the program when her daughter began receiving meals in July. But repeated food poisoning cases nationwide have left her anxious.
“Any parent would feel worried these days,” she said from Bogor, West Java, last week. “The government needs to take action. I don’t know what specifically, but every parent just wants their child to stay healthy.”
Read also: Children’s lives not a gamble
