Jakarta, IO – After taking leave from his duties as defense minister, presidential candidate No 2 Prabowo Subianto conducted public rallies in three provinces on the island of Sumatra, Tuesday (9/1).
In the first leg, Prabowo attended the Prabowo-Gibran volunteers consolidation meeting in Riau at the Pekanbaru Youth Center. Prabowo, wearing a light blue shirt and tanjak (a head covering commonly worn by the local Malay community), was greeted enthusiastically by residents. They scrambled to greet and take his picture.
“I am happy with the welcome given by the people of Riau. It is like getting a breath of fresh air that continues to pump my spirits. Thank you for such a big warm welcome. Every time I meet the ordinary people, I feel a breath of fresh air,” said Prabowo.
On that occasion, Prabowo also joked that the people’s hand grip were very strong when they shook his hands. Nevertheless, he said he didn’t mind because it showed the people’s great enthusiasm.
Afterward, Prabowo continued his journey to Jambi to attend the gathering and declaration of the regional representative office of the Pujakesuma Family Association of Jambi which was held at the Abadi Convention Center (ACC).
Pujakesuma is the association of Javanese born in Sumatra. It is 42 years old and has branches across 21 provinces. On this occasion Prabowo was welcomed with a traditional ceremony and dances. Prabowo was dressed in authentic Javanese lurik clothes and donning blangkon (traditional Javanese headgear worn by men).
When he entered the building, thousands of supporters who had been waiting for him immediately clamored for his attention. They scrambled to greet him and take photos.
The third province Prabowo visited was South Sumatra. Here, Prabowo attended the annual national gathering with the Indonesian Santri Network (JSI) in Gandus district, Palembang City.
Prabowo, wearing a brown safari suit, was seen appearing through the sun roof of his car, while waving to students who thronged the Al-Qur’an Al Akbar religious tourism site. The ulama were also seen lining up on the right-hand side.
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The local community, who had been gathering since early in the morning, surrounded the street, shouting ‘Prabowo for president’, accompanied by religious chanting from inside the venue.
On this occasion, Prabowo never ceased to express his gratitude for the enthusiasm and support of the Indonesian people, especially the people of South Sumatra.
“Thank you, my brothers and sisters. A million thanks to you, thank you, thank you. I feel that you truly believe in Prabowo-Gibran. I feel how much hope you have for me and Gibran,” said Prabowo.