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Megawati supports free meals program, with caveat
"Mas Bowo, please listen to me," the PDI-P chairwoman said.
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Former president and current Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri (right) whispers to People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo during an event at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta on Sept. 9, 2024. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
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ndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chair Megawati Soekarnoputri said on Thursday that she, in general, supported President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free meals program but took issue with the paltry budget allocation for the initiative.
Megawati said the planned budget of Rp 10,000 per meal would only allow vendors to cook low-quality foods given the skyrocketing prices of ingredients.
"I did the math myself, and with Rp 10,000, that's nothing. We know that prices are now going up. Mas Bowo, please listen to me and recalculate the amount," Megawati said, referring to Prabowo by his nickname.
President Prabowo has said the pilot program will aim for a per-meal cost of Rp 10,000, two thirds of the initial estimate of Rp 15,000, insisting that it is still possible to provide quality meals during the first year of his flagship program with the reduced budget.
The government has earmarked Rp 71 trillion in next year's state budget to pay for the free meals program.
On Tuesday, President Prabowo called for more efficient government spending amid expected economic challenges caused by rising geopolitical tensions.
Prabowo told his ministers and government officials that such tensions were expected to slow the growth of the world's major economies, without mentioning any particular country although citing a "military emergency" as an example.
