UI Students Install Banners Criticizing MBG Program on Jakarta-Depok Border

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An alliance of students from several campuses put up banners criticizing the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program at strategic points along the Depok and South Jakarta border on Friday, June 26, 2026. The early morning action served as a reminder that the government's flagship initiative is viewed as problematic and has already claimed victims.

The banners were displayed at several high-traffic locations, ranging from pedestrian overpasses to the University of Indonesia access flyover.

Some of the visible messages read: "Jalan Macet, MBG Lancar #MENUJUINDONESIABANGKRUT (the road is jammed, the MBG runs smooth #towards Indonesia's bankruptcy), "MBG BAU PEJABAT TAK MALU" (MBG smells like shameless officials), and "POLISI URUS BEGAL BUKAN MBG" (police handle robbers, not MBG). Another banner leveled a sharp claim regarding safety: "33.626 PELAJAR SUDAH KERACUNAN MBG" (33,626 students have been poisoned by MBG).

Hafidz Haernanda, Social Politics Coordinator for the University of Indonesia's Student Executive Body (BEM UI), confirmed the installation of the banners. He described the action as a public reminder not to lose sight of the negative repercussions plaguing the MBG project.

"Today, BEM UI, BEM NF, BPM & SEMA FH KM UP, and the Alliance of BEMFAK se-Gundar installed stern warning banners across Depok. We came out to remind the public that MBG is not a solution, but a major problem," Hafidz said on Friday, June 26, 2026.

According to him, the banners were put up around 4 a.m. at several locations, including the Lenteng Agung pedestrian overpass, two overpasses on Margonda Street, the Cijago Toll Road intersection on Jalan Juanda, across from a Depok advertising billboard, Pancasila University Station, and the UI access bridge.

Hafidz argued that the MBG program is generating new crises, specifically citing food poisoning cases among students. "A program that is supposedly 'nutritious' has turned into poison for the nation's future generation. Trillions of rupiah of the public's money are being spent under the guise of free lunches, yet it is so easily corrupted," he stated.

He also targeted law enforcement, criticizing police priorities as misdirected. "Depok streets are heavily congested every day, public transportation is in disarray, but the authorities are busy managing the MBG kitchen," lamented the student from the UI Faculty of Public Administration.

The student groups are demanding that the government take accountability for the alleged poisoning incidents, the allocation of the state budget, and the trajectory of national development priorities. "Depok residents, do not let them forget this just because of sweet media coverage," Hafidz added.

Based on Tempo's observations, several banners on Margonda Street, the Juanda Junction, the Margonda overpass, and the UI access flyover were removed just hours after being installed. Hafidz suggested that the swift removal indicates an anxiety over the message being spread. "Our banners were indeed taken down within hours, but our message cannot be torn down," he said.

Earlier, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, a crowd operating under the banner of the Depok People's Alliance held a peaceful rally at Depok City Hall to voice support for President Prabowo Subianto's policies. A day later, a separate group of residents staged a protest against the MBG initiative, demanding instead the reactivation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

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