When the Palace is Opened to the Public, Prabowo is Said to Want to Erase the Intimidating Impression

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - President Prabowo Subianto has now opened the Presidential Palaces across Indonesia to schoolchildren. Schoolchildren are invited to register in advance with the Presidential Secretariat or the Cabinet Secretariat if they wish to visit the Palace. SMKN 19 Jakarta became the first school to visit the Palace in Jakarta. The students and teachers were taken on a tour of the Palace, even entering the President’s room. Not only that, the children were also allowed to experience sitting in the room where President Prabowo holds the inauguration of officials following a reshuffle. They were then taken to the Full Cabinet Meeting room, as well as the place where the President receives state guests. This is not the first time Prabowo has brought himself closer to the people. Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel TNI Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that the order to open the Palace aligns with President Prabowo’s programme for investing in building the younger generation. “On the instructions and wishes of President Prabowo, we are opening the Palace to schoolchildren. So, one of President Prabowo’s biggest programmes is investing in building and shaping the younger generation. There are nutritious meals, school renovations, toilets, we install digital learning TVs, then there is the People’s School, integrated school, Garuda School, incentives and welfare for teachers,” said Teddy at the Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday (7/4/2026). During the visit, said Teddy, schoolchildren are introduced to government concepts and the history of the nation. “Then we invite them to see the Palace, we invite them to see the places where major decisions for this nation have been made,” he explained. “For what purpose? To give them the desire to aspire as high as possible for this nation,” he continued. He claimed that the eight Palaces in Indonesia are open to schoolchildren.