Magelang – Sholeh, the owner of a street-side meatball stall in the Bandongan District, Magelang, was overjoyed. This is because his stall was visited by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on Monday (29/1) afternoon.
His street-side stall became a stopping place for Jokowi and Prabowo to eat meatballs together after attending the inauguration of Graha Utama at the Magelang Military Academy (Akmil).
“Today, January 29, Alhamdulillah my stall was visited by guests that I never expected, the President of Indonesia, Mr. Jokowi and Mr. Prabowo came to my stall in Bandongan,” said Sholeh happily.
Sholeh was very grateful that the meal with both of them at his place went smoothly. According to him, Jokowi and Prabowo seemed to really enjoy his meatball dishes with the addition of fresh coconut water.
Previously, he admitted that he had doubts about his ability to prepare hundreds of meatball orders a day before Jokowi and Prabowo’s visit. In addition to preparing meatball dishes for both of them, he also made 400 portions to be distributed for free to the residents.
“The day before, the Presidential Security Detail came to me and asked for permission for a state visit,” Sholeh explained.
“I asked myself, can I do it or not? Actually, I had doubts, but I had to be optimistic and strong. It turns out that everything went smoothly,” he continued.
Sholeh also mentioned that his family was very happy to have their photo taken with Jokowi and Prabowo. Moreover, he and his elementary school-aged son were very happy to have the opportunity to shake hands directly with Prabowo.
“We even shook hands with Mr. Prabowo. This is the photo. Alhamdulillah, I never expected it,” said Sholeh.
He said that he saw Prabowo, whom he met for the first time, as a very kind and friendly person. “From my personal point of view, he is good. I can’t put it into words. He even ate my meatballs himself,” he explained.
Sholeh revealed that during the handshake, Prabowo wished him success in the meatball business that he has been building until now. “He said ‘may you always be successful’ (from Prabowo),” said Sholeh.
He also prayed for Prabowo to lead the country so that all parties can remain united.
“Mr. Prabowo, always be healthy and may you be able to lead this country to remain united in diversity, ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’,” he said.
At the location, not only did Jokowi and Prabowo appear, but also several celebrities and influencers such as Raffi Ahmad, Nagita Slavina, Atta Halilintar, Ria Ricis, Lula Lahfah, Rachel Vennya, Salim Nauderer, Tara Budiman, Christian Bong, Celine Evangelista, and Aan Story. They were seen wearing plain white shirts in solidarity. (SENOPATI)
