The Meaning Behind the Meeting Moment Between Prabowo and Megawati at the Palace

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Ahead of Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah, the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, held a meeting with the fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia, Megawati Soekarnoputri, at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday afternoon (19/3/2026).

Prabowo captured the moment of his meeting with Megawati via his Instagram account, @prabowo, that afternoon.

“On the 29th day of Ramadan ahead of Eid al-Fitr 1447 H, I received the fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia, Ibu Hj. Megawati Soekarnoputri, at Merdeka Palace,” Prabowo stated in his post.

This is evident from several photos uploaded, including a moment where Prabowo held Megawati’s hand to assist her in ascending and descending the stairs to the meeting room.

Since Megawati alighted from her vehicle in the Presidential Palace area, Prabowo was already prepared to welcome her arrival.

The General Chair of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) arrived wearing a dark blue batik outfit, accompanied by her daughter and Chair of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), Puan Maharani, who wore a matching outfit.

Meanwhile, Prabowo was accompanied by his only child, Didit Hediprasetyo, who wore a safari shirt while welcoming Megawati and Puan’s arrival.

One of the photos also shows Prabowo and Megawati sitting side by side facing Puan and Dasco.

Through his Instagram account, Prabowo stated that the meeting with Megawati served as an occasion for silaturahmi among national leaders.

“This meeting continues the silaturahmi among national leaders,” Prabowo added.

In the two-hour meeting, they discussed several strategic matters regarding domestic issues, as well as various geopolitical concerns.

Hasto noted that they also discussed Megawati’s extensive experience, including in resolving multidimensional crises.