Jakarta Residents Disappointed at Inability to Chat with Governor

The Jakarta Provincial Government held an open house or gelar griya at Jakarta City Hall on the first day of Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah, Saturday, 21 March 2026. Residents crowded the Governor’s office several hours before the event began. The event only started at 1:00 PM WIB. Even past 2:00 PM WIB, residents continued to arrive.

Inside City Hall, residents queued to shake hands with Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung and Deputy Governor Rano Karno. One Jakarta resident, Karina Eka Dwi Salim, was disappointed because she did not get the opportunity to chat with Pramono and Rano Karno.

“Too rushed, to the point of no chance to talk or convey a message,” said Karina when met at the Pendopo of Jakarta City Hall on Saturday, 21 March 2026.

Security personnel limited the time to less than 2 minutes for residents who wanted to meet and shake hands with Pramono and Rano. However, Karina said she had been queuing for a long time.

Karina, along with her son, arrived at the Pendopo of Jakarta City Hall at 12:45 PM WIB. She only managed to shake hands with Pramono an hour later.

She understands that the officials have other agendas. However, as a member of the public, she hopes that the silaturahmi agenda can also serve as a platform to convey aspirations. “I wanted to convey a message that the Transjakarta stop at Rawasari is still not inclusive,” said the 42-year-old woman.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Rano Karno admitted to being pleased with the enthusiasm of Jakarta residents who came to silaturahmi at City Hall. However, he claimed that in this event, no residents voiced complaints. “No complaints. Just silaturahmi, just halal bihalal,” said the politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party.