January 16, 2026
JAKARTA – From horse riding to hosting foreign dignitaries and convening emergency meetings with senior government officials, President Prabowo Subianto’s private estate in Hambalang has increasingly become an epicenter of power where he often directs high-level meetings and shapes policy away from Jakarta.
Since he assumed the presidency more than a year ago, Prabowo has shifted much of his work from the Palace in Jakarta to his private residence in Hambalang, a 4-hectare area nestled in the hills and surrounded by forested land in Bogor, West Java.
Located some 60 kilometers from Jakarta, the Hambalang estate has served as his sanctuary for years, even before he became president, allowing him to maintain a certain distance from the day-to-day political chaos of the capital.
Despite the unconventional setting, Hambalang has hosted a range of official presidential events, including marathon meetings with ministers, gatherings with members of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), discussions with leaders of Muslim groups and a visit from a United Kingdom special envoy on education.
Earlier this month, Hambalang became the venue where the President hosted a leadership retreat for more than 100 cabinet members, during which he briefed them on his priority agenda for this year and announced the establishment of a task force to expedite post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction in Sumatra.
“My consideration in convening this meeting is, first, to evaluate our work last year, and secondly, to understand the condition of our nation in the midst of global dynamics and upheaval,” Prabowo said in his address to the cabinet on Jan. 6.
Hambalang has also served as a command post for critical directives. During the largest and most violent street protest of his early presidency in August of last year, Prabowo called an emergency meeting at his residence with police and military chiefs, instructing them to take decisive action against rioters and looters.
The estate has also played a role in his diplomatic engagements. Prabowo, for example, invited Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to Hambalang for horseback riding last May, a gesture analysts at the time said underscored the personal touch that has come to define the two countries’ engagement.
Even before he took office, he occasionally used Hambalang for gatherings with politicians of his Gerindra Party.
Analysts say Prabowo’s tendency to hold events at his residence reflects his “personalized” approach to governance, “shifting the center of power away from formal state offices to spaces closely associated with his personal authority”.
“Hambalang is where he becomes himself fully,” analyst Agung Baskoro from think tank Trias Politika Strategis said, adding that the location allowed Prabowo to “transfer his leadership values and experience” directly to cabinet members and visiting officials in a setting that is less constrained by state protocols.
“His discipline, interest in horseback riding, reading habits, even his famous Hambalang coffees are all part of his personal life, and visitors, including cabinet members, get to see that fully there,” Agung said.
This tendency reflects a long-standing pattern among Indonesian leaders with military backgrounds, who often showed “the personalization of power”, including by turning their private residence into a command center, analyst Wasisto Raharjo Jati from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) said.
“Hambalang is simply the latest example,” Wasisto said, citing former presidents Soeharto and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose presidencies were closely associated with their private residences, such as Soeharto’s “Cendana palace” and Yudhoyono’s “Puri Cikeas.”
“This pattern is far less common among civilian leaders,” he said, noting that former presidents B.J. Habibie and Megawati Sukarnoputri rarely used their private homes for state affairs.
Beyond symbolism, Wasisto also highlighted practical considerations, noting that Hambalang, which is tucked away from Jakarta’s political bustle, offers a more controlled and comfortable environment for strategic discussions that may be sensitive in nature.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi did not respond to questions about why Prabowo frequently held official activities in Hambalang.