Prabowo Subianto, the 8th President of Indonesia, and Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin were seen riding together in a Maung vehicle after a handover memorandum ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in Jakarta on Tuesday (October 22). The ceremony included a ceremonial salute and the passing of a memorandum from Prabowo to Sjafrie, who will continue in his role. The two also exchanged tokens of appreciation before boarding the Maung, a vehicle made by PT Pindad, to travel from the Ministry of Defense to the State Palace.
On their journey, the public, including civilians and military personnel, showed great enthusiasm as Prabowo and Sjafrie passed by. People shouted greetings like “Pak Prabowo” and “Mr. President” as they recognized Prabowo.
Sjafrie and Prabowo have maintained a close relationship since their youth, as seen in photos shared by Sjafrie on his Instagram account @sjafrie_sjamsoeddin. Both graduated from the Military Academy in 1974 and served together in the elite Red Beret Corps, Kopassus, participating in significant military operations, including those in East Timor.
Throughout his career, Sjafrie held various important positions in the military and government. After retiring from active duty in 2010, he took on roles within the government, such as Deputy Minister of Defense and later Assistant Minister of Defense for Defense Management. Sjafrie was appointed as the Minister of Defense for the Merah Putih Cabinet by President Prabowo and was sworn into office on October 21, 2024.
