State Palace Clarifies Gibran's Seating Position During Cabinet Meeting
Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi has spoken out regarding the seating position of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka at the Plenary Cabinet Session (SKP) on Monday (20/7).
At yesterday’s session, Gibran sat among the ranks of the Coordinating Ministers. He did not sit at the centre accompanying Prabowo, but instead sat next to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto.
Pras said the matter was purely a technical issue.
“That is why, in answering the question about the layout, if you all noticed yesterday, the President was positioned at the centre. As for the Vice President’s position, in our view it was simply a matter of technical necessity — there is nothing else that should be of concern,” Pras said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Tuesday (21/7).
Pras explained that, technically speaking, Prabowo needed a teleprompter to present the achievements of the government programmes at yesterday’s session.
He said the teleprompter was needed to help explain the data being presented.
“So yesterday he used an assistive device called a teleprompter. That is why, in answering the question about the layout, if you all noticed yesterday, the President was positioned at the centre,” he said.
Pras also stated that the seating arrangement had absolutely nothing to do with cabinet cohesion.
He said the Red and White Cabinet is currently in a position of great unity.
“There is none, absolutely none. We are currently at our most united, and everyone is working hard to achieve the direction set by the President,” he said.
At the same time, Pras said what mattered more than the seating arrangement was the substance of what Prabowo conveyed at yesterday’s session.
“It was to give an assessment, provide an evaluation, and convey the achievements of the Red and White Cabinet. Over roughly 21 months of being entrusted with office under the leadership of President Prabowo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, a great many achievements have been accomplished,” he said.