Why Was Prabowo's Portrait Displayed in Jakarta Sky? Palace Explains

August 19, 2026 | 04:57 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi has explained why a portrait of President Prabowo Subianto was displayed in the sky over Jakarta during celebrations marking Indonesia’s 81st Independence Day.

Prasetyo said the display was an expression of pride by the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) Army Special Forces (Kopassus).

“The substance is this. It is a form of pride from our fellow soldiers,” Prasetyo said at the MPR/DPR/DPD parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

Prasetyo also highlighted the strengthening of Indonesia’s military equipment under the Prabowo administration. He said efforts to modernize the country’s main weapons systems, known by the Indonesian acronym alutsista, had begun when Prabowo served as defense minister under former President Joko Widodo.

“The TNI may also be expressing its gratitude because it is under Mr. Prabowo, although it was also initiated when he was defense minister, that we have truly strengthened our military equipment,” said Prasetyo, a politician from Prabowo’s Gerindra Party.

He cited Rafale fighter jets and A400M transport aircraft, both of which took part in a series of military displays during the Independence Day celebrations.

For Prasetyo, the participation of the aircraft and their pilots in the 81st Independence Day air show should be the main focus of public attention.

“Flying Rafale fighter jets, with all four pilots being the best sons of Indonesia, is what I think, what we think, is far more important because that is not something easy,” he said.

Prasetyo also highlighted the A400M transport aircraft, which can be deployed to deliver logistics to disaster-hit areas. He said the aircraft had already proven useful for Indonesia, a country prone to natural disasters because it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

“In a short period of time, we can send logistics, which we have already used, from the disasters in Sumatra to the recent disaster in East Nusa Tenggara,” he said.

Kopassus Paratroopers Display Prabowo Portrait

Indonesia’s 81st Independence Day celebrations at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta featured a parachute jump from an altitude of 10,000 feet by TNI personnel on Monday, August 17, 2026.

Seventeen Kopassus paratroopers formed a formation in the sky before landing at the National Monument, or Monas, field across from the palace.

While in the air, the paratroopers unfurled a 12-by-8-meter Indonesian red-and-white flag. They also displayed a large portrait of Prabowo.

The official presidential portrait of Prabowo was printed on a large banner held by the paratroopers as they descended.

“Displayed proudly and with honor, the flag featuring the figure of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Prabowo Subianto,” the announcer said during the ceremony’s live broadcast on the official YouTube account of the Presidential Secretariat.

The announcer also highlighted Prabowo’s military career. When Prabowo served as commander of Kopassus, the announcer said, paratroopers from the unit set a parachuting record.

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