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Assessing the Prabowo Administration’s “Free Nutritious Meals” Program

  • ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Seminar Room 2 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Singapore, 119614 Singapore (map)

Organizer: Indonesia Studies Program at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute

Type/Location: Hybrid / Singapore

Description:

This panel will assess President Prabowo Subianto’s ambitious plan to feed Indonesia’s schoolchildren and pregnant mothers. Four months into his administration’s “free nutritious meals” (Makan Bergizi Gratis) programme, hiccups and teething problems, especially in logistics and implementation, and the potential fiscal impact, have drawn criticism. Yet the President’s team remain optimistic about the programme’s efficacy in improving human capital and has speculated about its potential contribution to their growth targets. Some questions examined are targeting issues including the meals’ nutritional value, governance, and fiscal and social sustainability.

About the Speakers:

Elyssa Ludher is a food security researcher and urban planner. She is a Visiting Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and has contributed to food policy research at the World Bank, Centre for Liveable Cities Singapore, and the Singapore Food Agency. Her publications include “Food and the City: Overcoming Challenges for Food Security” and “Preparing for a Climate Resilient Singapore”. Elyssa has master’s degrees in Urban and Regional Planning, and Bioresource Engineering.

Marihot Nasution is a State Budget Analyst in the Secretariat General, House of Representatives (DPR), Indonesia. Her expertise lies in budget analysis, public finance management, and fiscal policy, focusing on enhancing budget transparency, and evidence-based policymaking. Marihot has contributed to analyses of state revenue and expenditure policies, and tax reforms.

Adriana Viola Miranda, MD, is Director of Program at 1000 Days Fund, a nonprofit focusing on stunting eradication in Indonesia. She has four years of experience in global health research and practice. Having seen the power of community health workers (CHWs) when serving as a rural primary care doctor, she strives to strengthen Indonesia’s community health system by utilising evidence-based approaches.

Registration Links:

To attend the event in person, please register here.

To attend the event online, please register here.

 
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Whispers to the Ancestors: 50 Years of Exile from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam

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Genres and Genealogies: Mixed Race Writings from French Indochina and Vietnam