Visiting Public Schools, Prabowo Discusses Lucky Number 8
President Prabowo Subianto discussed the lucky numbers in his life during a visit to the SRMP 17 Tabanan Public Junior High School in Bali on Sunday, 7 June 2026. The two numbers he considers to bring good fortune are 8 and 13.
Prabowo opened his remarks by greeting Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, other attending officials, and the Headmaster of SRMP 17 Tabanan. He noted that 17 is also a significant number, as Indonesia’s Independence Day falls on 17 August. “Our proclamation is on 17 August; one plus seven equals eight. When I was in the military, I was given a code, and that code was 08. Therefore, the number eight is a very lucky number for me,” Prabowo stated in Bali, as broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel.
The former Minister of Defence under President Joko Widodo mentioned that two numbers consistently appear in his life: 8 and 13. However, he did not elaborate on the details behind the number 13, simply stating, “There are two lucky numbers, 8 and 13. They always appear in my life.”
Prabowo noted a coincidence between his visit to SRMP 17 Tabanan and his lucky numbers. The Chairman of the Gerindra Party remarked that he had decided only the previous day that he wished to visit public schools located outside of Java. “Today, I did not choose; I did not know. Only yesterday did I decide I wanted to see public schools outside Java. I wondered if there were any in Bali? There were. It was brought here, and coincidentally, the school is SRMP 17. So, perhaps it was predestined.”
Upon arriving at SRMP 17 Tabanan, the Head of State was welcomed with cheers and a Kecak dance performed by the students. According to the Presidential Secretariat’s live broadcast, Prabowo wore a brown safari shirt, a dark blue hat, and sunglasses.
During this visit, Prabowo was accompanied by Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, Deputy Social Affairs Minister Agus Jabo Priyono, and Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya.
President Prabowo repeatedly expressed his interest in the symbolism of the number eight. His connection to the number 8 dates back to his service as an Indonesian Army soldier. At that time, he was stationed in the Counter-Terrorism Unit (Satgultor-81) of Kopassus, where members were assigned identity codes. It was there that he received the code 08, a designation that remained with him even after he was appointed the 15th Commander of Kopassus for the 1995-1998 period.
When Prabowo entered politics, this military code persisted as part of his identity. The ‘08’ code was widely used by volunteers supporting him during the 2014 and 2019 general elections. Even now, many of his supporters use the code, such as ‘Prabowo Mania 08’ and ‘Garuda Nusantara 08’. Following his victory in the 2024 election, Prabowo assumed office as the eighth president of Indonesia.