Can Prabowo Subianto finally unleash Indonesia’s potential?

It’s a grand promise by Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto - a free meal every day for 83 million school children and pregnant women.But one year into one of the boldest free meal programmes in the world, the policy is facing budget challenges and several mass food poisoning cases affecting thousands of children. The success or failure of the programme will define the legacy of a leader who pledged to end malnutrition during his presidential campaign in 2024. But Subianto isn’t just stopping at free food. He has bigger ambitions for a country long seen to be underperforming compared to its huge potential. To find out if Indonesia’s leader can reshape South East Asia’s largest nation, Asia Specific podcast host Mariko Oi is joined by the BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head and Bloomberg Opinion’s Asia columnist Karishma Vaswani, who grew up in Indonesia and was the BBC's correspondent and editor from 2009 to 2015.Asia Specific brings you essential insights and conversations on the stories shaping the Asia Pacific region - an economic powerhouse, geo-political flashpoint and the birthplace of global cultural trends.Asian perspectives on international issues and in-depth analysis on news from a region that’s home to nearly 2.5 billion people. Whether it is the latest on trade between China and Donald Trump, the rise and fall of political dynasties in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, or South Korea’s K-pop inspired soft power strategy - we unpack what key players are thinking and dive into the stories that matter. Hosted in Singapore by Mariko Oi alongside BBC experts in Beijing, Bangkok, and beyond – listen to new episodes twice a week. Episodes of Asia Specific are also available on YouTube here: https://bit.ly/4iJyeVtGet in touch: [email protected]