President Prabowo Greets FLPP Beneficiary Andre from Samarinda at Annual Session

A man from Samarinda, East Kalimantan, stood up when greeted by President Prabowo Subianto during the Annual Session and Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Friday. Andre Bangaru, a micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) trader who sells rabbits at a night market, expressed his delight at being addressed by the President. “I was so happy the President greeted me like that, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Andre said in an interview after attending the MPR Annual Session. He also expressed his pleasure at being invited to the parliamentary complex to attend the important state agenda. During the session, Andre and other beneficiaries sat on the balcony of the Nusantara Building, also known as the ‘Turtle Building’. He was invited by the Government Communication Agency (Bakom) and the State Secretariat, arriving in Jakarta on Thursday after travelling from his home region. Andre explained that the Housing Finance Liquidity Facility (FLPP) programme run by the government is very beneficial for people without a fixed income, like himself. Before obtaining a house through the subsidised mortgage (KPR) FLPP programme, he had to move from one rented house to another, which were often inadequate. “The FLPP programme is really beneficial because it doesn’t only target those with high incomes. It’s not like that, I’m just a rabbit seller, an MSME,” he said. The government presented eight beneficiaries of various government programmes at the annual session. Alongside Andre was Joko Puro, a farmer from Ngawi, East Java, whose agricultural production increased thanks to a government assistance programme. Also present were Kristiani Beno, a sixth-grade primary school student from Merauke, South Papua, a beneficiary of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, and Muhammad Rizky Pratama, a 12-year-old from Medan, North Sumatra, who had previously dropped out of school to help with trading but is now able to attend school again through the People’s School programme.