Indonesia Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai details 2027 budget boost and defends MBG program

Indonesia’s Ministry of Human Rights (KemenHAM) received an approved budget of Rp953.1 billion for 2027. Minister Natalius Pigai said the funds will be directed to strengthen the five core functions of the ministry—respect, protection, fulfillment, enforcement and promotion of human rights—by enhancing policy formulation, public awareness, complaint services, compliance assessment and a unified human‑rights data system.

At the same time, Pigai responded to the National Commission on Human Rights’ (Komnas HAM) report that identified possible human‑rights violations in the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. He dismissed the commission’s statements as premature, arguing that any assessment of violations should wait until the programme’s construction phase is complete. While acknowledging incidents of food poisoning, Pigai maintained they fall outside construction issues and criticised Komnas HAM commissioners for lacking a human‑rights background.