President Prabowo Jokes About Kadin's Free Nutritious Meal Task Force and James Riady, Eliciting Laughter at Palace Meeting
The meeting between President Prabowo Subianto and the board of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) at the State Palace, Central Jakarta, on Friday, 31 July 2026, took place in a relaxed atmosphere. Amidst an agenda discussing various strategic issues regarding the national economy, Prabowo made several jokes that drew laughter from the participants.
The moment occurred as the President introduced and called out the names of the Kadin Indonesia officials present. The first joke arose when Prabowo mentioned the Head of Kadin’s Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Task Force, Chandra Tirta Wijaya. According to Prabowo, the position of the MBG Task Force Head is so vital that it deserves its own dedicated office within the Presidential Palace complex.
“The Free Nutritious Meal Task Force, Brother Chandra Tirta. This is important; prepare a special office in the Palace,” said Prablamo, which was immediately met with laughter from those in attendance.
The atmosphere of camaraderie continued as Prabowo called upon James Riady, the Vice Chairman for International Coordination of Kadin Indonesia. The President joked that Kadin’s international affairs should be left entirely to James Riady so that the organisation could save on travel expenses.
“Vice Chairman for International Coordination, Brother James Riady. Let the international affairs be handled by Mr James so that Kadin’s costs are reduced, since he uses his own aircraft,” Prabowo remarked, prompting further laughter.
Prabowo also joked while preparing to read the names of Kadin officials from various regions. He pretended to seek permission from Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, acting as though he were concerned that the event’s duration might be limited, preventing him from mentioning every official present.
“The regional Kadin officials, shall I read them one by one? Is that alright? The time is plenty, right? It is not limited, is it? Cabinet Secretary, please grant permission. I am being managed here,” said Prabowo, which again triggered laughter among the participants.
Behind the relaxed atmosphere, the meeting between President Prabowo and the Kadin Indonesia leadership addressed various strategic agendas related to the national economy.