President Jokowi Leads 76th Independence Day Ceremony at Merdeka Palace
President Jokowi and First Lady Ibu IrianaJokowi during the 2021 Independence Day Ceremony at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (17/08) (Photo by: BPMI).
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, on Tuesday (17/8), presided over the commemoration ceremony of the of the 76thAnniversary of Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia, at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.
The President dressed in a traditional costume of the Lampung Pepadun people while First Lady Ibu Iriana Jokowi donned an ivory national costume and complementing songket woven cloth.
The President was also accompanied by Vice President Ma’ruf Amin and his spouse Ibu Wury Ma’ruf Amin who were seen wearing traditional Sundanese clothes from Sukabumi, West Java.
The beginning of the commemoration was marked with 17-gun salute accompanied by the sound of sirens for one minute.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the House of Representatives Puan Maharani read out the text of the proclamation which was read by her grandfather, one of the founding fathers of the country, President Soekarno 76 years ago.
Furthermore, the President, as the ceremony inspector, led the participants to observe a moment of silence. Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas then recited the prayer.
Afterward, the Resilient Indonesia Team of the 2021 national flag-hoisting troop carried out their duties of raising the national flag.
After the raising of the national flag, eight F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Indonesian Air Force performed an arrowhead formation flypast over the Merdeka Palace at an altitude of 1,000 feet above sea level.
The series of events continued with the virtual presentation of the patriotic songs “Syukur” (Gratitude) and “Maju Tak Gentar” (Forward Undaunted) by Gita Bahana Nusantara choir and orchestra, followed by the attraction of six Indonesian Air Force helicopters carrying a giant Red and White flag measuring 20×30 meters.
At the end of the ceremonial procession, the Commander of the ceremony Colonel (Pnb.) Putu Sucahyadi reported to the Inspector that the ceremony has been completed.
For the record, this year’s commemoration carries the theme “A Resilient Indonesia, An Advancing Indonesia”. The ceremony is attended by a limited number of invitees who underwent a health check prior to the ceremony and is carried out by implementing strict health protocols such as wearing masks and maintaining a safe distance. (FID/UN) (FI/MUR)
