00:00One of the things in terms of getting down to specifics that you've done in your first year
00:07is a program where you're spending billions of dollars to provide school lunches for children.
00:16And walk us through what you learned from the Rockefeller Institute and others
00:21and how important it is for a meal for children to learn,
00:25but also what is this already starting to do to the local agricultural community.
00:32Talk about the kitchens that are being set up and already it's beginning to have an impact.
00:37I'll steal some of his thunder.
00:39Right now, he is feeding each day the equivalent population of seven Singapures.
00:48So walk us through this program.
00:51Yes, I think this free meal program, in Indonesia we call it MBG, Makan Bergizi Gratis,
01:00so free nutritious meal.
01:03Well, basically it came about, you know, I've been campaigning,
01:09I've been running for president, I think, I ran for president, I think, five times.
01:16In this last 20, 25 years, I think, 20.
01:23Five times I ran, four times I lost, the last time I won.
01:30What I'm trying to say is, during this campaign, this five campaign,
01:36I've traveled to many areas, to many villages,
01:41and every time I come to the village, I see young children greeting me.
01:49They come and stand and they wave and they...
01:52So I talk to them and I ask them, what's your age?
01:58And I was many times surprised.
02:03When I thought that the little boy in front of me must be only four years old,
02:11because of his body,
02:14he replied that he was ten years old.
02:18And the little girl, who I thought must be only five years old,
02:24she said she's 11 years old.
02:26And it went on, so I was shocked.
02:28So I saw,
02:30directly and physically,
02:33I saw
02:34stunting,
02:38I saw malnutrition,
02:40I saw poverty
02:41in my eyes.
02:43and
02:45very difficult for people who are living
02:49in the elite
02:51to understand
02:53that children
02:56can eat sometimes only rice
02:59with salt.
03:03And
03:03so that got me thinking.
03:07Then I remembered
03:08the schools in
03:11Europe and UK
03:12the U.S.
03:15They had
03:16three meals for lunch.
03:21So I said,
03:22and then I read about
03:24Brazil.
03:25Sorry,
03:26actually I have some flu.
03:36But you invited me,
03:37so
03:37and you tried,
03:43right?
03:48We'll blame the flu on the IMF,
03:50but that's another subject for another time.
03:52Sorry.
03:59So,
04:00I lost my voice there.
04:04So,
04:05I saw this,
04:08the importance of
04:09doing something.
04:13and then I
04:16realized that
04:18India,
04:20their per capita income
04:22is less than Indonesia.
04:25And yet,
04:26their leaders
04:27had the courage
04:29to have
04:31free meal program
04:32for their children.
04:35So,
04:35I said to my team,
04:36I said,
04:37if India can do it,
04:39why cannot Indonesia?
04:42And India,
04:43I think,
04:44has done it
04:44since 2010.
04:48And they have put it
04:49into their laws
04:52that free meal
04:53is mandatory
04:54for the children.
04:58Brazil does this.
04:59So,
05:00when I started
05:01planning for this,
05:03it was in
05:042023,
05:08I think.
05:10And at that time,
05:11there were
05:1277
05:13countries
05:15that had
05:16a free meal program.
05:19So,
05:20I said,
05:20Indonesia must be there.
05:2278th or 79th.
05:24So,
05:24we started planning
05:25and I announced it
05:26as my
05:27campaign
05:28campaign program
05:30and we designed it
05:32and now,
05:35I'm proud to say
05:36as of a few hours ago,
05:39we have now
05:4011,400 kitchens.
05:45I think.
05:46Yeah,
05:4711,400.
05:50Use that?
05:51Bye-bye.
05:52Sorry.
05:5411,900 kitchens.
05:56Thank you.
05:58And
06:00we are feeding
06:02today
06:0435.4 million
06:08mouths.
06:11So,
06:1135.4 million.
06:15Yeah,
06:16and that's
06:16the equivalent
06:17of
06:17seven Singaporeans.
06:20So,
06:20we are feeding
06:21seven Singaporeans
06:22every day.
06:23and
06:24I think,
06:25yes,
06:26we have
06:27glitches.
06:28I think we had
06:29food poisoning,
06:33but when we
06:34counted
06:35the number of meals
06:37we gave out.
06:38statistic is
06:440.0007,
06:47which I think
06:53is not,
06:54I mean,
06:55even one
06:56poisoning
06:56is
06:58is not
07:01acceptable.
07:02But I think
07:04in any human
07:04endeavor,
07:06to have
07:06zero
07:09defect
07:11or zero
07:12accident
07:13or zero
07:15mistake,
07:17I think
07:18it's
07:19very rare
07:21in human
07:22endeavor,
07:23in my opinion.
07:24I don't make
07:25an excuse.
07:26We are
07:27determined
07:27to
07:28make it
07:30as
07:30near to
07:33zero
07:33as possible.
07:34We increased
07:35our
07:35oversight,
07:39SOPs,
07:40we are now
07:41buying new
07:43equipment,
07:44filters
07:45for the
07:45water,
07:47test kits
07:47for the
07:48food,
07:51modern
07:52equipment
07:56to
07:56heat,
07:58the
07:59water
07:59to
07:59heat
08:00the
08:01trays
08:03that are
08:03being
08:04soaked.
08:05We are
08:05putting it,
08:06trying to
08:07increase all
08:08the oversight.
08:09Now,
08:10with these
08:10meals,
08:13walk us
08:13through what
08:14it's already
08:14doing to
08:15the farming
08:16community.
08:17Yes,
08:19what we
08:19find out,
08:20you see,
08:21because
08:21now we
08:22send the
08:22money
08:23straight
08:23to the
08:24kitchen.
08:26We don't
08:26go through
08:27all these
08:28layers,
08:31layers of
08:31bureaucracy.
08:33We
08:34straight,
08:35and we
08:35have
08:36trained,
08:38before the
08:38whole
08:39program,
08:39we have
08:39trained
08:3932,000
08:41managers.
08:43These
08:43are all
08:43graduates
08:44from
08:44university,
08:4532,000.
08:46We
08:47trained
08:47them
08:47three
08:47months,
08:48and
08:49then
08:49they
08:49are
08:49deployed
08:50into
08:50the
08:50villages.
08:52And
08:53then we
08:54have
08:54partnership
08:56with
08:56local
08:57foundations,
08:58local
08:59groups,
08:59and local
09:00entrepreneurs.
09:02So,
09:03this is
09:03a
09:03government-private
09:06partnership,
09:09because the
09:10foundations,
09:12the local
09:12groups,
09:14some entrepreneurs,
09:14they are the
09:14ones who
09:15build the
09:16kitchens,
09:18and run
09:18the kitchens
09:19according to
09:19our
09:20specifications,
09:21and our
09:22SOPs.
09:24So,
09:24one kitchen
09:27is designed
09:27to provide
09:29food to
09:303,000,
09:31between 3,000
09:33to 3,500,
09:353,800
09:36children,
09:37and pregnant
09:39mothers.
09:40So,
09:40what happens
09:41is,
09:41one kitchen
09:42will need
09:423,000 eggs
09:45every two
09:46days,
09:46or every
09:46three days.
09:48We'll need
09:483,000
09:49cucumbers,
09:513,000
09:52carrots,
09:533,000
09:54tomatoes,
09:563,000
09:57pieces of
09:59chicken,
10:00and etc.
10:01So,
10:02what happens
10:03is,
10:04the local
10:04farmers find
10:05out,
10:06oh,
10:07we have a
10:07guaranteed
10:08offtake
10:09for our
10:10products.
10:10and so
10:12they are
10:13growing new
10:15stuff.
10:16We hear
10:16a lot of
10:17stories,
10:18a lot of
10:18testimonies,
10:19you know,
10:20they are
10:20building
10:21fish ponds,
10:24and those
10:25in the
10:26coastal
10:28areas,
10:29they increase
10:30their fish
10:31production,
10:33so it's
10:33very exciting
10:34what I
10:35got a
10:35report,
10:36and this
10:37is from
10:37the
10:38Rockefeller
10:38Institute.
10:39I got a
10:40visit from
10:41a delegation
10:43of the
10:43Rockefeller
10:43Institute,
10:45led by
10:48Mr. Roy,
10:49I think it's
10:50Roy Coven,
10:50I think it's
10:52And they
10:53said to
10:54me,
10:55in their
10:56experience,
10:57going through
10:57many countries
10:58in the world
10:59with the same
11:00program,
11:01they said
11:01that every
11:02$31 spent
11:03in the
11:05free meal
11:05program,
11:06the return
11:07on the
11:09$1 is
11:10between
11:11$5
11:11to $37.
11:15So this
11:16is massive,
11:17you know,
11:18it really
11:18encourages me,
11:20because my
11:20first
11:21purpose is
11:23to overcome
11:25the hunger
11:26of the
11:26children.
11:27That is
11:28my first
11:28purpose.
11:29But in
11:31the sense
11:31that we
11:32put in
11:34so much
11:35resources
11:36to the
11:38villages
11:39and the
11:40poor areas
11:41of Indonesia,
11:42even the
11:42urban areas,
11:44even Jakarta
11:45has a lot
11:47of undernourished
11:48children.
11:49So,
11:50and this,
11:52I think,
11:53is providing
11:54a big
11:54boost to
11:55the economy,
11:57in my opinion.
