Magelang – Hundreds of residents of the Bandongan District, Central Java, on Monday (29/1) were delighted when President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto stopped by to have meatball soup together at a street food stall.
Jokowi and Prabowo arrived at the Bakso Pak Sholeh Bandongan stall after inaugurating the main building of the Military Academy (Akmil) in Magelang. They sat facing each other, enjoying a portion of meatball soup with a side of young coconut water.
As Jokowi and Prabowo were seen chatting while eating the famous meatball soup from Bandongan, the gathered residents eagerly tried to capture the moment. They shouted and reached out to greet Prabowo directly. “I love you, Mr. Prabowo,” shouted the young women in the crowd.
Several men and young people also shouted Prabowo’s name to get his attention and be approached by the defense minister. “Mr. Minister of Defense, Mr. Minister of Defense! Shake my hand, Sir! Over here, I haven’t got a chance yet,” said a young man in a black t-shirt, enthusiastically raising both of his hands.
One Bandongan native, Risma (33), expressed her joy at being able to see Jokowi and Prabowo today. It was her first time meeting them in person, as she had only seen them on television and social media.
“I’m really happy. I even got to shake hands with Prabowo,” said Risma. She noted that Prabowo, like Jokowi, was warm and friendly towards the people. “(Turns out) just like President Jokowi, (Prabowo) is very friendly to the people,” she said.
Risma hopes that in the future, if Prabowo is entrusted with the presidency, he will be able to continue and succeed with the programs initiated by Jokowi. Most importantly, she hopes that he will stay connected to the people.
“Only Prabowo who continues President Jokowi’s programs. I support that. I hope he will continue to be close to the people,” she concluded. (SENOPATI)
