Jakarta, ThedailyID — Indonesia’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology has launched an investigation into a controversial academic paper that claimed to nominate the government’s Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize and listed President Prabowo Subianto as one of its authors.
The ministry formed a special investigation team on August 4, 2026, and said the inquiry is still ongoing.
“Based on our coordination with several individuals whose names appeared in the paper, they said they were unaware of it, never gave their consent, and were not involved in writing or uploading the paper,” the ministry said in a statement.
Officials also reviewed the background of the paper’s lead author, identified only by the initials DD.
The ministry said DD had issued a written apology over the incident.
Investigators also found that DD does not hold the academic rank of professor and is not affiliated with any university as a lecturer. According to the ministry, DD recently completed a doctoral defense.
The ministry also clarified that the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) is a preprint repository where researchers share manuscripts before formal peer review.
“SSRN is not an institution responsible for the Nobel Prize process,” the ministry said.
Officials stressed that uploading a paper to SSRN does not mean its claims have been verified or recognized by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
The ministry also noted that authors can upload names to SSRN without automatic verification. If someone is listed without consent, the issue may constitute a breach of academic publishing ethics.
It added that the Nobel Peace Prize follows a separate nomination process. The identities of nominees and nominators remain confidential for 50 years under Nobel Committee rules.
The ministry said it will continue the investigation and take action if it finds violations of academic ethics or other regulations.
