Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung (second from right) accompanied by his daughter Hanifa Fadhila Pramono (right) greets citizens on March 31, 2025, during an Aidil Fitri open house at the governor’s official residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta. - Antara via The Jakarta Post/ANN
JAKARTA: Hundreds of Jakarta residents flocked to Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung’s official residence on Monday (April 1) to attend his first-ever Aidil Fitri open house gathering after assuming office in February, celebrating the Islamic holiday while also airing their various concerns to the official.
A wide array of issues from labour rights to disability assistance were discussed during the open house, according to various reports.
Pramono, a politician from the de facto opposition Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), held two separate Idul Fitri gatherings on Monday, with the first reserved for public officials and the second open to the public.
A slew of officials attended the first session, including former Jakarta governors Fauzi “Foke” Bowo and Djarot Saiful Hidayat, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir and the city’s Transportation Agency Head Syafrin Liputo.
“There were no specific discussions, since it is Aidil Fitri,” Foke told reporters, as quoted by Kompas.
Many Jakarta residents, however, had specific topics in mind, with hundreds already queueing in front of the governor’s home hours before their scheduled session at 3:00 p.m.
Among Pramono’s civilian guests were staffers of the Public Infrastructure and Facilities Management, owners of small and medium-sized enterprises, online ride-hailing application drivers and members of the disabled community.
Kompas also reported that many of these civilians came with members of their respective communities, mostly with specific concerns or demands in mind.
“I told the governor that I have yet to receive my Jakarta Disability Card, and he was surprised,” said Upi, who arrived with her friends from the wheelchair community. “He told me that he will check on it,” she continued.
Meanwhile, online ride-hailing application drivers expressed to Pramono their aspirations for better welfare policies.
On Tuesday, Deputy Jakarta Governor Rano Karno similarly held an open house gathering, also hosting several public officials and tens of civilians in his private home in South Jakarta.
In line with Pramono’s open house, Rano Karno’s gathering also saw members of the community express their aspirations to the official, including better accessibility for the disabled community.
The pair from the PDI-P won last year’s heated gubernatorial election in a single-round race, beating Ridwan Kamil and Suswono, who are the part of the ruling coalition, and independent pair Dharma Pongrekun and Kun Wardhana.
Among Pramono and Rano’s pledges to Jakartans were more affordable housing, better accessibility for the disabled, more natural spaces in the city and various other programmes for the underserved. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
