Open House at the Palace Impresses Citizens with Direct Handshakes from the President

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Several citizens attending the open house at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Saturday (21/3) shared their impressions of being able to shake hands directly and exchange pleasantries with President Prabowo Subianto as part of Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah celebrations. Among the thousands of people filling the central courtyard of the Presidential Palace Complex of the Republic of Indonesia, Dedeh was one of the fortunate citizens who could meet face-to-face and shake hands directly with President Prabowo. “(I) came from dawn, from Istiqlal Mosque then continued to the Palace, met (President Prabowo). Alhamdulillah,” said Dedeh in Jakarta on Saturday, as quoted from the official broadcast of the Indonesian Government Communication Agency, confirmed on Sunday. Dedeh then continued to recount her impressions when shaking hands with President Prabowo. “Very happy. Happy. Shaking hands with Pak Prabowo. His figure is very fatherly. May (Father President) have a long life, be healthy, and be able to continue leading Indonesia to recover again,” said Dedeh, sharing her hopes for the President. Dedeh also prayed for Indonesia to become increasingly peaceful, with its people becoming more prosperous in the future. “My hope is that Indonesia becomes prosperous, peaceful, and increasingly united,” said Dedeh. Meanwhile, Rifal, another citizen who was also fortunate to meet face-to-face and shake hands directly with President Prabowo, shared his experience. “After Eid al-Fitr prayer, (I) came directly (to queue to enter the Palace). Got to meet Father President. A good President,” said Rifal. Rifal also shared his hopes and prayers after meeting the President. “May Indonesia become an advanced country and increasingly developed. Thank you for inviting us here, to the Palace. Thank you, Father President,” said Rifal. President Prabowo opened the doors of the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Indonesia to the public since Saturday afternoon after the Eid prayer was held in the morning. Between 4,000 and 5,000 people took turns entering the Palace for halal bihalal and exchanging pleasantries with President Prabowo, as well as enjoying a variety of typical Lebaran dishes specially provided for the public. The various foods served to the public included ketupat and chicken opor, empal gentong, bakso, chicken noodles, and various drinks and desserts. During the open house at the Palace, President Prabowo first met the attending public and shook hands with several citizens one by one. The President also directly distributed Lebaran gift packages to some of the attending citizens. The gifts, wrapped in light blue bags, contained items including boxes of dry cakes, sweetened condensed milk, tea and coffee, a light blue umbrella complete with the Presidential Palace logo, rice, and a box of ready-to-eat food. The open house event at the Palace ended on Saturday evening around 6:00 PM WIB.