Story of Cono, a Casual Labourer on the Senen Railway Embankment Promised a Flats by Prabowo

JAKARTA - A man named Cono has renewed hope of securing decent accommodation for himself and his family after meeting President Prabowo Subianto.

Cono recounted sharing details of his life during the encounter with President Prabowo, who was conducting a walkabout along the railway embankment in the Senen area of Central Jakarta on Thursday afternoon (26/3/2026).

Amid passing trains and a crowd of residents eager to meet the Head of State, Cono received a direct offer from the President regarding proper housing that he had only previously been able to imagine.

“Mr Prabowo said, ‘Would you like me to build you a block of flats?’ I said, yes, sir! Because I don’t have a place to live; this is all I have,” Cono stated, quoted from a press release by the Indonesian Government Communication Agency (Bakom) on Friday (27/3/2026).

For more than three decades, Cono has survived alongside the railway tracks by doing casual labour and scavenging for anything that could generate income.

He described how he and his family have lived in a simple tent that often leaks during heavy rain.

“This is how it is when it rains and winds; it leaks,” Cono said.

In that small, inadequate dwelling, Cono must support his five children.

For the safety and comfort of his children, Cono chose to rent a simple room in a boarding house.

However, he and his wife continue to endure life in the tent by the railway tracks.

It is known that Prabowo also shared this walkabout moment on his personal Instagram account, @prabowo.

The President of Indonesia visited residents’ homes along the railway embankment while wearing a dark blue shirt and a brown cap.

“This afternoon, I walked through the settlements along the railway tracks in the Senen area, Central Jakarta. Located about 3 km from Jakarta’s city centre,” Prabowo stated in an Instagram post @prabowo on Thursday night.

“Listening to the aspirations of the people there, God willing, we will soon build decent housing for the community in that area quickly, and it is my determination to provide decent housing for the Indonesian people,” Prabowo added.