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World Bank’s premature 'free lunch' comment irks officials
A comment by the World Bank referring to as yet unknown details of Prabowo's key campaign promise has ruffled many official feathers at this sensitive time in the country's democratic process, especially after an election season riddled with allegations of meddling.
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Students and their parents participate in a mid-morning potluck at Edukasi Dasar, a basic education NGO based in Depok.
(JP/Wienda Parwitasari )
G
overnment officials, including a senior cabinet member, were reportedly upset by the World Bank’s comment about presumptive president Prabowo Subianto’s free school lunch program. Their anger has nothing to do with the substance of the bank’s statement, but its timing.
The officials were upset that the early mention from a global institution could be perceived as “cawe cawe” (interference) in the country’s internal affairs.
The incident could be a lesson for foreign diplomats and international institutions to refrain from what could be seen as fishing in “murky waters”, especially during this sensitive postelection period.
In this particular case, they had better avoid making statements that could be used as ammunition by winners and losers of the Feb. 14 election, as well as their respective supporters, to attack each other.
“What the World Bank did could be understood as an attempt to interfere in our domestic affairs. This is sensitive, especially amid the current political situation,” a senior government official told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Satu Kähkönen, the bank’s Indonesia and Timor-Leste country director, visited Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto at his office to discuss the draft 2025 state budget, among other matters. They also talked about the free lunch program and the country’s budget deficit.
"We hope that Indonesia will stick to the maximum limit of deficit, which is three percent of GDP as stipulated by the law, and will also maintain macroeconomic and fiscal stability,” Kähkönen said after the meeting, as quoted by Antara.
