Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka visited the Senen Market Complex in Central Jakarta on Wednesday night to assess the return of economic activity following recent riots.
According to a statement from the Vice Presidential Secretariat on Thursday, Gibran inspected the Senen Jaya 1 and 2 market blocks in Kwitang, where he purchased traditional cakes and snacks to show support for local vendors.
Accompanied by aides and presidential security personnel, Gibran greeted merchants and spoke with several stall owners.
"This market wasn’t damaged, was it?" he asked one vendor.
The vendor confirmed that the area had remained intact during the unrest and recalled how sellers gave away their goods to online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers on Saturday (August 30) after business was halted.
“All the vendors here gave away cakes to ojol drivers because we couldn’t sell what we had prepared. We ended up doing that for two days,” the vendor told the vice president.
Gibran continued greeting merchants and purchasing snacks during his visit, while residents and traders were seen capturing the moment on their phones and attempting to approach the vice president.
He underscored the importance of sustaining local economies and expressed hope that improving security would help small business owners recover and regain confidence.
“The visit reflects the government’s commitment to revitalizing economic and business activity,” the secretariat said.
It added that Vice President Gibran’s visit aligned with President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to strengthen national unity and restore economic stability following the demonstrations.
