The Political Economy of Human Security: Evaluating Fiscal Trade-Offs, Constitutional Governance, and Food Safety in Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG)

Abstract

Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meal Program (Makan Bergizi Gratis / MBG), administered by the newly established Badan Gizi Nasional (National Nutrition Agency), represents an unprecedented expansion of the Indonesian welfare state. Designed as a strategic intervention to eradicate structural malnutrition, reduce stunting, and capture the nation's demographic dividend ahead of the "Golden Indonesia 2045" vision, the program aims to feed over 63 million beneficiaries. However, this paper argues that the MBG program introduces severe systemic vulnerabilities when analyzed through the dual lenses of Non-Traditional Security (NTS) and neoclassical political economy. By critically examining the massive fiscal burden of the program—costing tens of trillions of Rupiah—this study highlights the macroeconomic risks and the intense political contestation over the constitutionally mandated 20% education budget. This fiscal friction culminated in the landmark July 2026 Constitutional Court (MK) ruling, which strictly ring-fenced educational funds from being cannibalized by the MBG. Furthermore, the paper investigates the micro-governance challenges of operating a highly decentralized procurement network, emphasizing the dual threats of localized rent-seeking and acute public health crises caused by inadequate food safety standards, as evidenced by recent National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) data. The article concludes that without strict fiscal discipline, dynamic poverty targeting, and the rigorous enforcement of sanitation regulations, the MBG risks undermining the very human and economic security it seeks to protect.