JAKARTA — The woman leading Indonesia’s troubled national free meals program announced Wednesday that she has stepped down from her position, pointing to health concerns as the reason for her departure.
Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, who had only taken the helm of the National Nutrition Agency in June, becomes the second person to leave the agency’s top post in a little more than a month. Her predecessor was fired by President Prabowo Subianto and later arrested on corruption charges following a raid on the agency’s offices.
In a post on Facebook, Nanik explained that she is leaving in order to receive medical care abroad for a heart condition. She wrote that her doctor told her her arteries had become blocked as a result of extreme stress.
“With a thousand apologies I must resign as NNA chief, for my health, and because the president feels sorry for me, he agreed,” she wrote. In a separate post, she added that her physician had warned her about the severity of her condition.
Nanik also noted that President Prabowo is considering establishing a supervisory board for the agency and has asked her to lead that body.
The free meals initiative is widely considered President Prabowo’s most significant and costly campaign promise. However, it has drawn scrutiny and raised broader questions about Indonesia’s financial stability since its rollout began in January 2025. The program has been plagued by logistical difficulties, concerns over food quality, and multiple incidents of mass food poisoning.
Nanik pushed back against critics who have framed the program as politically motivated, writing that it is “an intervention measure for children’s nutrition” rather than a political tool.
It remains unclear who will take over leadership of the agency. Nanik indicated her replacement would come from within the organization, describing the successor as someone junior to her at the agency. The National Nutrition Agency had not responded to requests for comment as of Wednesday.
Her resignation came just one day after the agency disclosed that its 2026 budget had been reduced for a second time — dropping from 268 trillion rupiah to 229 trillion rupiah, equivalent to approximately $12.79 billion. That figure is now more than 100 trillion rupiah below the original allocation of 335 trillion rupiah, and officials warned that further cuts remain possible pending an additional review.
The program was initially designed to serve 83 million people, including children and pregnant women. Prior to the latest budget review, it had already distributed free meals to 62.5 million people, according to the agency.
