Prabowo's Actions on Labour Day: From Removing His Shirt to Dancing
President Prabowo Subianto attended the International Labour Day or May Day celebrations at the National Monument area in Jakarta on Friday, 1 May 2026. At the event, which was also attended by government officials, Prabowo took to the stage to deliver a speech and even danced.
The Chairman of the Gerindra Party arrived at the Monas area in the morning. He travelled in a white Pindad vehicle while wearing a brown suit and hat. Prabowo waved to the crowd of workers as he entered the National Monument area through the Horse Statue entrance.
Prabowo sat listening to speeches from several labour organisation leaders before taking the stage to deliver his address. Not only did he speak, but Prabowo also livened up the Labour Day celebrations with dancing and distributing T-shirts. What did Prabowo do during the Labour Day celebrations at Monas?
Dancing to Tipe-X Music
Prabowo’s arrival on the May Day stage was accompanied by music from the ska band Tipe-X. As he walked on stage, the President appeared to dance along with the watching workers.
Tipe-X played the hit song “Percayalah Padaku” when Prabowo began dancing. The former defence minister initially greeted the workers and threw the hat he was wearing towards the audience.
Not only that, Prabowo also danced with his signature silat movements. He repeatedly performed this dance choreography during the 2024 presidential election campaign season. The audience cheered enthusiastically for the 74-year-old man’s actions.
Removing His Shirt on Stage
Prabowo performed a shirt-removal act on the May Day stage in 2026. The President unbuttoned the brown safari shirt he was wearing and threw it towards the crowd of workers.
This moment occurred shortly after Prabowo stepped down from the stage at the May Day Fiesta event organised by the Labour Party. Initially, Prabowo delivered a speech from the podium, accompanied by state officials, Labour Party leaders, and the Indonesian Confederation of Trade Unions (KSPI).
After the speech, the tune of the workers’ unity song, “The Internationale”, echoed at Monas. In that moment, Prabowo unbuttoned the top buttons of his safari shirt one by one and then threw the garment towards the audience.
As he left the stage, the eighth President appeared to be wearing a black V-neck undershirt. Prabowo shook hands with the attendees as he walked towards the Maung vehicle that took him away.
Distributing T-Shirts and Basic Goods
Prabowo distributed T-shirts after his speech at the International Labour Day commemoration event. Prabowo spoke on stage in front of thousands of workers filling the viewing garden area of Monas. Labour banners were held high by the crowd. After speaking, Prabowo stepped down from the stage and was escorted to the Garuda Maung vehicle.
From atop the Maung, Prabowo then threw T-shirts wrapped in plastic to the crowd at 10:00 WIB. He also opened his brown safari shirt and black peci from the roof of the Maung. He was only wearing a black T-shirt and then distributed the T-shirts.
The T-shirts distributed by the government for this Labour Day were printed with “MAYDAY 2026 For You, Country, Our Souls and Bodies”. In addition to T-shirts, the President also gave basic food packages and umbrellas. Umbrellas were specifically given only to female workers.
Alongside clothing and umbrellas, the government also distributed basic food packages to the masses attending Monas. The packages included 5 kilograms of rice, oil, fresh milk, coffee, and tea. The aid was given in white drawstring bags printed with “Presidential Palace of the Republic of Indonesia”.