Cabinet Secretary: President Makes Surprise Visit to Senen Railway Trackside Settlement, Absorbs Residents' Aspirations

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya revealed that President Prabowo Subianto’s inspection visit to the residents’ settlement along the railway tracks in the Senen area, Central Jakarta, was conducted on the spur of the moment. Prabowo wanted to see the residents’ living conditions in the vicinity. “Yes, that’s correct. This afternoon, the President suddenly wanted to see the residents still living along the railway tracks in the Senen area,” said Teddy when contacted on Thursday (26/3/2026). Teddy recounted that Prabowo disguised himself by not using his usual Maung Garuda vehicle to reach the location. Prabowo used an ordinary car with limited security. However, the residents still recognised him and enthusiastically welcomed Prabowo. “Yes, it was impromptu and he planned to go incognito, using an ordinary car and very few Presidential Security Forces personnel. It turned out the residents were surprised and enthusiastic in welcoming him,” he stated. The residents at the location were shocked by Prabowo’s arrival. According to Teddy, the residents were moved because it was the first time the area had been visited by a president. “Earlier, many residents were surprised and said this was the first time a President had come to that area,” he added. At the location, Teddy revealed that Prabowo listened to the residents’ aspirations. Prabowo promised to soon build decent housing for the local residents. “The President wants to build proper houses for the residents still living along the railway tracks, 3 km from the centre of Jakarta,” he said. The moment of the inspection visit was uploaded to Prabowo’s Instagram account. Prabowo appeared accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya and his aide Rizky Irmansyah. Prabowo’s arrival was enthusiastically welcomed by the local residents. Those who saw him directly ran to approach Prabowo and jostled to shake his hand. Not a few of them also captured the moment.