KUPANG, Legal Literacy — A delegation from Commission III of the House of Representatives conducted a working visit to the Regional Police Headquarters of East Nusa Tenggara (Polda NTT) on Friday (7/25). The delegation, led by Deputy Chairman of Commission III, Ahmad Sahroni, was welcomed by the Chief of NTT Police Inspector General Rudi Darmoko along with the main staff and immediately held a closed meeting. One of the main agendas was to evaluate the implementation of the Free Nutritious Food Program (MBG), a national flagship program that started running in NTT since January 2025.

After the meeting, member of Commission III Benny K. Harman highlighted the mass poisoning case experienced by hundreds of students receiving MBG packages in several schools. He asked the NTT Regional Police to thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident, including the possibility of legal violations. “A thorough investigation is needed to clarify the root of the problem. Whatever the cause, improvements must be made immediately,” said Benny.

The politician from NTT emphasized that the poisoning incident should not be used as an excuse to stop the program. On the contrary, the Regional Government and law enforcement officials are asked to improve governance so that the benefits of MBG are truly felt by the community. He also encouraged the NTT Regional Police to deploy personnel to assist with socialization and supervision in the field.

Head of Public Relations of the NTT Regional Police, Kombes Henry Novika Chandra, stated that all input from Commission III was a serious concern for the regional police. “We are committed to ensuring that this program runs well and is safe for recipients,” said Henry.

Surge in Poisoning Cases

In the past week, 186 students of SMPN 8 Kupang were rushed to several hospitals after consuming MBG packages—the highest number of victims since the program was launched. Director of RSU Mamami Elvino Chrisananta Manafe said that the patients experienced digestive problems, but the exact cause is still awaiting the results of the examination.

The NTT Representative Ombudsman released additional data: similar incidents were also recorded at SDN Tenau and SMAN 1 Taebenu (Kupang Regency), SMAN 1 and SMKN 2 Tambolaka, and SMK Don Bosco (Southwest Sumba Regency). Head of the NTT Ombudsman Darius Beda Daton assessed that the series of cases indicated potential maladministration in the Nutritional Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG), especially in aspects of transparency, accountability, and budget readiness.

Previous records also showed food quality problems in East Sumba Regency: chicken meat that was still bloody, strands of hair in the lunch box, to menus that were considered less nutritious. The central MBG monitoring team has not provided official information regarding these findings.

Push for Governance Reform

Commission III of the DPR emphasized the importance of improving the MBG production and distribution chain, starting from vendor selection, hygiene standards, to supervision mechanisms. This step is expected to close loopholes of negligence and ensure that the right to nutritious food for every student can be fulfilled without health risks.