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View all search resultsPrabowo takes crack at ‘blusukan’ in Central Jakarta
During an impromptu visit to Senen, Central Jakarta, Prabowo reportedly promised poor residents living along the railway track proper housing and sanitary facilities.
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President Prabowo Subianto (center) greets a child on Thursday during his impromptu visit to an impoverished community in Senen, Central Jakarta. The President, accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya (left) and a small security detail, reportedly promised to build proper housing and sanitary facilities for residents in the area. (Courtesy of Presidential Secretary/Cahyo)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto took a page from his predecessor’s playbook on Thursday, when he made a surprise visit to impoverished communities living along the railway tracks in Senen, Central Jakarta.
In official footage uploaded to YouTube on Friday, Prabowo was seen making his way through the crowds on foot while shaking hands and speaking to children about their schooling as well as to the adults about their makeshift homes that were dotting the railroad in the background.
The President made no official statement during Thursday’s visit.
Several people used the opportunity to express their hope that the government’s social assistance program would continue. The programs include the Family Hope Program (PKH), a conditional cash transfer scheme and the free nutritious meal program for schoolchildren as well as pregnant mothers, according to a statement issued by the Presidential Secretariat.
One resident, Yana, said she hoped the free meals initiative would continue, so students, especially those who still live below the poverty line, can keep receiving benefits.
“It should keep going, especially for families like mine. As a homemaker, I really rely on it for my children’s schooling,” Yana said, as quoted from the Presidential Secretariat’s statement.
Read also: Govt mulls cutting free meal days to ease budget strain
