Jakarta (WNAM MONITORING): Workers at the Presidential Palace were busy with various preparations here on Thursday ahead of the event to welcome the new head of state, which will take place on Sunday (October 20, 2024).
Several building construction, cleaning, and security officers could be seen preparing the palace area.
They cleaned the area, arranged the garden, and inspected the facilities to ensure everything was ready to welcome invited guests who will attend the event to bid farewell to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and welcome Prabowo Subianto as the new president.
The building construction team painted the old wooden ornaments on the windows of the Presidential Secretariat complex.
In the afternoon, some workers could be seen repairing the marble floors and fixing the grouting on the floors.
“Today, we are working from 8:30 a.m. until it is finished later at around 9 p.m. local time,” Santoso, the construction work supervisor, informed.
He was leading about 10 workers who were polishing the floors of the Palace terrace using floor polishers.
The Palace is the center of the President’s and the government’s activities. It is also a place where state events, such as the inauguration of high-ranking officials, are held.
Earlier, Minister of State Secretary, Pratikno, said that the farewell procession for President Widodo will be held after Prabowo is inaugurated as President of the Republic of Indonesia at the parliament complex in Senayan.
“After the inauguration, Mr. Jokowi will first go to the Palace, and Prabowo will come later for the farewell ceremony,” he added.
Pratikno said that on October 20, the Palace will only hold the farewell event, followed by President Widodo’s departure at 3 p.m. to Solo, Central Java, where he plans to spend his retirement.
In addition, a dinner with important guests is also scheduled to take place at the Jakarta Presidential Palace.