August 17, 2026 | 08:05 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A number of citizens is reported that they were willing to arrive and queue from the early hours of the morning to attend the 81st Independence Day Anniversary commemoration ceremony of the Republic of Indonesia at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Monday.
According to a post on the Cabinet Secretariat's Instagram account (@sekretariat.kabinet) on Monday, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya—while touring the Presidential Palace Complex—discovered that some citizens had been queuing since around 03:00 WIB (Western Indonesia Time), with some even stating they had been on-site since 02:00 WIB.
In a conversation with one of the citizens, Teddy asked why they had started queuing so early in the morning.
"What are you doing here? Queuing as early as 3:00 AM?" Teddy asked.
"Yes, Sir, since 2:00 AM," the citizen replied.
When asked where they were from, the citizen mentioned they were from South Sulawesi.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy also spoke with another citizen who said they were from Kebumen, Central Java. That citizen stated they had arrived at Gambir Station around 01:00 WIB before heading to the location to attend the series of events for the 81st Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia.
"Kebumen, Central Java; I arrived at Gambir at 1:00 AM," the citizen said.
Teddy then asked about the citizen's preparations before coming to the Palace, including where they got ready before the ceremony.
"Where did you get ready?" Teddy asked.
"From home," the citizen answered.
Teddy then wished the citizens who had been queuing since the early hours good health.
"Stay healthy," he said.
The citizens' enthusiasm demonstrated the public's high interest in attending the 81st Anniversary commemoration of the Republic of Indonesia in person at the Merdeka Palace.
They were willing to travel from various regions and arrive in the early hours of the morning to witness the ceremony firsthand. The government is preparing 16,000 seats for the 80th anniversary commemoration of Indonesia's independence at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, with 8,000 seats allocated for each of the two ceremony sessions: the Proclamation ceremony at 10:00 WIB and the flag-lowering ceremony at 17:00 WIB.
Eighty percent of this capacity is allocated to the general public, while the remainder is reserved for official invitees, state officials, and institutional representatives.
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