TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin stated that French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the Magelang Military Academy (Akmil), Central Java, to observe the TNI's (Indonesian National Armed Forces) French language laboratory directly.
"The officer cadets and non-commissioned officers who are going to France are already proficient in French," Sjafrie said while welcoming Macron at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Jakarta, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
After leaving Magelang Military Academy, Sjafrie revealed that Macron will visit Borobudur Temple. Accompanied by President Prabowo Subianto, Macron will witness the splendor of the world's largest Buddhist temple.
Macron is said to want to see the Borobudur Temple. However, Macron's visit to Borobudur Temple has become the subject of discussion on social media. The reason is that the government has added a stair lift to the temple to facilitate Macron's ascent to the temple's top. President Prabowo Subianto will also accompany Macron.
Video and images of the stair lift installation circulated on X and YouTube, and Instagram as well. The video claimed to show preparations for installing a stair lift at Borobudur Temple in honor of the arrival of Indonesian President Prabowo and French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, May 29, 2025. The video narrated that the stair lift was built to welcome the arrival of Prabowo and Macron.
The Head of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO), Hasan Nasbi, stated that the video is indeed a preparation for Macron's visit. He said the Indonesian government will build a staircase without steps to help Macron and Prabowo reach the fourth floor. Then, the government will prepare a stair lift from the 5th or 8th floor to the top of Borobudur Temple.
"Borobudur is about the same height as our floor. It's like a 12-story building. Therefore, the French president's state visit is limited in time. Therefore, facilities are provided to access each floor and level of Borobudur," he said at his office in Jakarta on Monday, May 26, 2025.
Hasan claimed that the government intended to make time more efficient by providing this.
"Using a stair lift to make time more efficient," he said.
According to Hasan, these facilities do not damage Borobudur Temple. He claimed that the installation does not use nails and drills. Furthermore, the installation is only for that visit.
"So, it's just placed. Later, when it's finished, it can be easily dismantled," he said.
Hendrik Yaputra contributed to the writing of this article
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