Thousands Gather at Monas for Independence Day Public Celebration

Thousands of residents flocked to the South Plaza of Monas, Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Sunday (8/17), from morning until noon.

"We've also prepared 300,000 portions of traditional Indonesian food and drinks,"

According to beritajakarta.id's observations, people had already arrived at Monas early in the morning to enjoy the series of events celebrating the 80th anniversary of Indonesian Independence Day. 

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The event began with the Heirloom Flag Parade from Monas to the State Palace, followed by an air show featuring fighter jets and helicopters flying over Monas and the palace.

Wahyu (46), a resident of Cakung, East Jakarta, said he came with his wife and two children, arriving at Monas at around 6 AM.

"Since early morning, my family and I have been watching the flag parade from Monas to the State Palace," said Wahyu.

This was his first time experiencing the Independence Day celebration at Monas.

"It was quite impressive, lively and exciting. Especially the fighter jet performance forming the number 80," he shared.

A similar sentiment was expressed by Supardi (49), a resident of Harapan Mulia, Bekasi, West Java. He admitted that he usually only watched the Independence Day celebrations on TV.

"I'm really happy that I could bring my wife and children to see the event in person. Until now, we've only seen it on television," he said.

Meanwhile, Head of Jakarta Industry, Trade, Cooperatives, and Small and Medium Enterprises (PPKUKM) Agency, Elisabeth Ratu Rante Allo, in a press statement said that her side, in collaboration with the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, participated in the people's festival at Monas by involving 600 MSMEs.

"We've also prepared 300,000 portions of traditional Indonesian food and drinks to be distributed for free to visitors at Monas from morning to night," she mentioned.

She explained that the meals included rice with chicken, duck, fish, or beef, along with various satays, gado-gado, ketoprak, and regional dishes like Nasi Gudeg, Bogana, and Tutug Oncom.

"Hundreds of thousands of meals were served in hygienic paper bowl packaging, each marked with an MSME identity sticker," she added.

"This people's festival isn't just about distributing food, but also a real form of collaboration and government commitment to boosting the MSME economy," she asserted.