Prabowo arrived at his hotel for his state visit to London on Sunday. Upon arrival, he was warmly greeted by several ministers of the Indonesian cabinet who had already arrived, staff from the Indonesian Embassy in London, and Indonesian students and diaspora studying in the UK.
Prabowo greeted and shook hands with each of the students and diaspora and even engaged in a brief dialogue about their majors.
The president's presence among the Indonesian students living abroad left a deep impression and raised their spirits.
Alma, an Indonesian pursuing a master's degree in Business Management at the University of Sussex, expressed her excitement at meeting President Prabowo in person for the first time.
"This was an extraordinary experience. It was also my first time seeing the president. He was so humble, and he greeted us all," she said.
"It felt like I was a child meeting my father in a foreign land. I was very happy and moved," she added.
She also hoped that Prabowo's presence would further emphasize the importance of education as the foundation of the nation's future.
"Hopefully, education can help to realize a Golden Indonesia in 2045. It will be a valuable experience for every child. It is a source of pride for me because his presence shows us how important education is," Alma continued.
Other students, Jovan, Dara, Adia, and Tessa, also expressed their deep impressions of President Prabowo's meeting with the Indonesian diaspora in London.
They expressed their hope that the planned educational cooperation between Indonesia and the UK would be further strengthened, especially with leading UK universities.
Beyond the education sector, the students hope that Prabowo's future leadership will bring equitable progress across various fields.
"Not just in education, but perhaps also in health, employment, and others," they said.
Meanwhile, Azka, a third-year engineering student at the University of Oxford, said he was moved to meet President Prabowo in London.
Azka hopes that the knowledge he has gained in science and technology can contribute to Indonesia's progress.
"I hope to utilize my engineering knowledge to help advance Indonesia and contribute to developing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to advance our country," he remarked.
President Prabowo's presence among the Indonesian diaspora in London reflects the country's concern for Indonesia's young generation studying abroad.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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