Indonesia cracks on a viral pirate flag that spreads as a symbol of political protests before the day of independence.
The Jolly Roger skull and the bones with a straw hat – from the Japanese anime series “One Piece” – fluttered from an increasing number of trucks, cars and houses.
Officials warn the “provocation”-as a protest against the policy of President Prabowo Subianto-Sollte, do not fly alongside the country’s red and white flag.
The pirate banner was recorded by annoyed truck drivers at the beginning of this summer, but recently forced itself to move online and real.
“I personally raised the flag a bit because the red and white flag is too sacred to be raised in this corrupt country,” said Khariq Hole, a 24-year-old student of the university in the province of Riau von Sumatra, AFP.
“I believe that there is freedom of speech in Indonesia, but it is very limited. The statement of her opinion becomes more dangerous.”
Government officers say that the use of the flag is an attempt to share the nation.
They warn that it could be forbidden to fly in addition to Indonesia’s colors or open on August 17 – the 80th anniversary of independence after Japan’s handover at the end of the Second World War.
“It is essential that we do not do it to create provocation with symbols that are not relevant for the country’s struggle,” said Mayor Security Minister Budi Gunawan last week.
The ministers have cited a law that forbids flying a symbol as the national flag as the basis for every punishment.
According to this law, the intention to refuse, insult or worsen the flag has a maximum prison sentence of five years or a fine of almost 31,000 US dollars.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said on Tuesday that Prabowo had no problem with the “expression of creativity”, but the two flags should “not be placed next to each other,” reported the local media.
“Just a cartoon”
A presidential spokesman did not answer an AFP question about his position on the pirate flag, which was asked two days earlier.
Experts say that unfortunate Indonesians use the flag in order to indirectly express themselves against Prabowo’s economic and defense policy, which feel indirectly, cause concern for democratic residues.
“Symbols such as the pirate flag enables the frustration of people without describing them,” said Dedi Dinarto, head of Indonesia analyst of the advisory company Global Counsel.
“A public feeling reflects that parts of the country have been” kidnapped “.”
Others such as the food seller Andri Saputra, who flew the Pirate Fehnrich in his house under an Indonesian flag for a week, say that they want to be able to decide which symbols they show.
“I would like to be free to express my opinion and express myself,” said the 38-year-old in Boyolali Review in Central Java.
“This is just a cartoon flag from Japan.”
The online culture was a popular channel for Indonesian dissatisfaction with the perceived corruption of the government and in nepotism.
The Japanese anime is popular in Indonesia and in the best-selling ‘One Piece’ Manga series, which was created in 1997, is the flag resistance to an authoritarian world government.
In February, protests, which are known as “Dark Indonesia”, began widespread budget cuts that were triggered by a logo published in social media, which shows a black Indonesian mythical Garuda bird alongside the words “emergency warning”.
Other rallies in 2016 and 2019 were also triggered online, and Dedi says that the government could be concerned that “this will follow the same digital game book”.
There is also a generation gap in which older locals fight for the Indonesian flag after centuries of colonial rule as hard, while younger Indonesians consider the new movement as an expression of disappointment.
Raid
“You just want Indonesia to get better, but … you can only” express it through the “One -Piece” flag, “said Ismail Fahmi, founder of the Indonesian social media monitor EMPRIT.
The police in the neighboring capital of the province of Banten and the Province of West Java, the most populous Indonesia, have threatened measures when the flag is flown alongside the colors of the nation.
A printer business owner in Central-Java told AFP on Wednesday evening by the Plain Clothes police on Wednesday evening to stop the production of the pirate emblem.
Right groups have exaggerated the answer and say that Indonesians are allowed to wave the flag by law.
“The flag” One -Piece “as a critic is part of freedom of speech and is guaranteed by the constitution,” said Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia.
Despite the government’s threats, some young Indonesians are still ready to risk the protest plate.
“Last night my friend and I went through the city when they achieved a flag on a piece,” said Khariq on Wednesday.
“If the government is not afraid to suppress their own people, we shouldn’t be afraid to fight bad politics.”
