Disclaimer: This article is an editorial that highlights the problems in Indonesia today

PIKIRAN RAKYAT - In the lead-up to the ceremonial inauguration of Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming as the new president and vice president, it was announced that the budget for the free lunch program would undergo a slight adjustment, with the cost per child set to be reduced to Rp7.500.

The news emerged following remarks by Heriyanto Irawan, an economist at Verdhana Sekuritas, who said that the Prabowo Subianto campaign was considering ways to potentially reduce the cost of the free lunch from Rp15,000 to Rp9,000 or Rp7,500. He made this statement following a meeting with the Prabowo-Gibran Synchronisation Task Force Team.

In response to the recent developments, the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, has acknowledged that the proposal regarding the free lunch budget policy of Rp7.500 per child is still undergoing deliberations. However, he believes that Rp7.500 is a sufficient amount.

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"I believe this is still in the process of maturation. But if it meets the standard for health, that's what's important. Hopefully, it will meet the standard," he said, quoted by Pikiran-Rakyat.com from Antara on Friday, 19 July 2024.

He believes that Rp7.500 is not an insignificant amount in some regions, given that prices for food and other items vary considerably from one area to another.

"I think that in some regions, Rp7.500 is a considerable sum of money. In others, it may be less so, depending on the level of luxury in each region," he said.

The Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, also offered his thoughts on the recent announcement regarding the reduction in the budget for free lunches.

He explained that the amount allocated would vary from region to region.

He also indicated that the free lunch budget has been included in the 2025 State Budget Draft (RAPBN) with a nominal value of Rp71 trillion.

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“At first, this free lunch program has been included in the RAPBN with a nominal value of Rp71 trillion. And we still working on the detail technicalities,” he said

On another occasion, Gibran said that there was no certainty about the cuts. Therefore, he asked the public to wait.

“I believe it would be more prudent to wait for more definitive information before making any decisions,” he said.*** (Politeknik Negeri Bandung/Ahyaithannisa Taufik)