Students Protest Against MBG, Threaten to Bring Crowds and Poisoning Victims to Papua Barat Daya Governor's Office

He added that the public’s concerns would be forwarded to the central government and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN).

"We accept these aspirations and then convey them to the central government and BGN that there are public inputs. The decision will be returned to the central government because this is a national priority program by the President, and the policies fully lie with the central government," he explained.

Ahmad also explained the possibility of schools submitting rejection requests for MBG distribution.

"Currently, there is a new policy from BGN where public schools, if they do not wish to receive the free nutritious food, must sign a statement both from the school and the students," he said.

However, he noted that any rejection must go through BGN’s process.

"They can apply, but the decision depends on the National Nutrition Agency whether to approve or not," Ahmad said.

He added that, so far, no schools in Papua Barat Daya have formally rejected the MBG program.

"For Papua Barat Daya, none so far. We don't know about other regions, but in Papua Barat Daya, not yet," he said.

Based on observations, the student protest was secured by Sorong City Police personnel and the Papua Barat Daya Public Order Agency. Tensions arose briefly between protesters and representatives of the Papua Barat Daya Provincial Government during the speeches.

The protest ended peacefully. The crowd declared they would return with a larger number of participants.