Testing ideas, absorbing criticism: Prabowo defends policy decisions in 6-hour roundtable discussion

JAKARTA – In a rare roundtable discussion that stretched for hours, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto took the opportunity to directly defend his signature free-meal programme and the country’s participation in US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BOP), taking an approach that analysts said is unprecedented for his administration.

The six guests – including prominent economists, a political analyst, a popular YouTube podcast host and senior journalists – were invited to freely question and criticise the administration’s broader policy agenda.

Setting the tone at the start of the session, the 74-year-old President said: “Go ahead, ask me anything.”

The marathon discussion lasted over six hours, and a complete recording was released on YouTube on March 19 and 20, offering a glimpse into the administration’s line of thinking.

The discussion covered a sweeping range of pressing topics, including the massive budget allocations for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, Indonesia’s controversial decision to join the BOP, and the overarching strategies to boost its economic growth to 8 per cent before Mr Prabowo’s term ends in 2029.

Free meals and BOP

Among the most heavily scrutinised subjects was whether the government would review or scale back its MBG programme, especially since the energy crisis sparked by the Middle East conflict is expected to add pressures to state coffers. The MBG programme is set to feed 83 million people at a cost of 335 trillion rupiah (S$25.3 billion) in 2026.

​“As much as I can, I will defend MBG,” Mr Prabowo said in response. “Look at the children who have stunting in those rural areas. I witnessed it myself during my campaign trails; an 11-year-old kid can have the weight of a four-year-old. I am quite sure with the MBG, we are doing the right thing.”

Critics also raised concerns about MBG kitchens being run by third-party private entrepreneurs. They pointed out instances of corners being cut that severely degraded the quality of the food delivered to children, as well as hygiene problems that have occasionally resulted in food poisoning.

Acknowledging the flaws, Mr Prabowo said the government has already shut down more than 1,000 substandard kitchens out of 25,000, and will strictly monitor operators to ensure they comply with standard operating procedures.

​Pivoting to international affairs, Mr Prabowo clarified that Indonesia retains the right to withdraw from the BOP if it ultimately fails to bring tangible benefits to the Palestinian people or Indonesia.

He stressed that joining the BOP is a calculated, strategic move that aligns with the broader, eventual goal of establishing a two-state solution.

“If we are in the BOP, we can exert influence and help the Palestinian people. If we are outside it, we cannot struggle for them. We eventually made a final decision to join,” Mr Prabowo said.

“We want to guard the civilians from any possible attack from anywhere,” he added, outlining Indonesia’s intention to contribute up to 8,000 troops to Gaza to help maintain regional peace.

Addressing economic growth plans

​On the administration’s lofty economic goals, former finance minister Chatib Basri expressed doubts that Indonesia can grow at 8 per cent by 2029, from a trend rate of about 5 per cent.

To reach this goal, Mr Prabowo is planning to boost economic growth through the MBG programme, which would create jobs and require local sourcing, and the building of millions of homes for low-income households.

However, Dr Chatib, an economist, argued that Indonesia suffers from a stubbornly high incremental capital output ratio. In other words, a higher level of investment is needed to produce a unit of economic growth in Indonesia, underscoring the lack of highly developed human capital and systemic bottlenecks.

​Addressing this criticism, Mr Prabowo said the government has increased its focus on education to build the required human capital. He pointed to consistent improvements in physical infrastructure, noting that the government is actively distributing digital interactive flat panels to 289,000 schools across Indonesia, many of which are in remote areas.

“The interest to learn mathematics has jumped among students in remote schools because of this,” Mr Prabowo noted. He added that the government completed the renovation of 17,000 school buildings in 2025 and plans to significantly scale that up to 70,000 in 2026.

​The President also outlined plans to stimulate the coastal economy. Starting in 2027, the government will begin building 1,582 fishing vessels annually, ranging in size from 300 to 2,000 gross tonnes. These will be distributed to coastal villages to help communities boost their daily catch and overall income.

​However, ​Mr Dani Setiawan, chairman of the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen’s Union, told The Straits Times that these plans could backfire without proper governance. Small-scale fishermen could get overlooked, fail to receive allocations and suddenly face much harsher, industrialised competition in their local waters.

“The government must make fair plans on who will actually receive and operate these new vessels,” Mr Dani said. “They must provide capacity building for small-scale fishermen in the use of modern vessels and fishing gear, and absolutely ensure the availability of supporting infrastructure like cold chain logistics.”

Refreshing communication approach

The marathon roundtable has drawn some praise from observers, who said they welcome the openness of the discussions.

Mr Fakhrul Fulvian, chief economist at Jakarta-based brokerage Trimegah Sekuritas, called it a refreshing approach that allows for greater transparency and improves the administration’s policy credibility.

​“In an increasingly complex global situation, compounded by geopolitical, energy and food pressures, economic policy can no longer be communicated in a one-way manner,” Mr Fakhrul told ST, pointing out that there must be room to test ideas, absorb criticism and build public legitimacy.

​Mr Dani agreed, but stressed that the dialogue is valuable only if the government is seen acting on the feedback it receives.

“It deserves appreciation,” Mr Dani told ST. “However, the invitee list to these discussions must be expanded to include others, such as grassroots groups that represent fishermen, farmers and labourers.”