Indonesian Authorities Respond to Mass Flying of ‘One Piece' Flag
Since late July, as an expression of dissatisfaction with their government, some Indonesians have flown a version of the Jolly Roger skull-and-bones flag from the popular Japanese anime One Piece, which originated in 1997 as a manga and was adapted into a live-action series by Netflix in 2023.
The 'Straw Hat Pirates' flag has in recent weeks become a trendy symbol of defiance against President Prabowo Subianto, a populist former general who was elected last year, after Prabowo called in a late July speech for Indonesians to fly the national flag 'at home, at schools, in offices, in public spaces—wherever you are' in celebration of the country's upcoming 80th anniversary.
According to local news media, the symbol of resistance arose after a group of truck drivers, who already typically attach the national flag to their vehicles every year for Independence Day, instead put up the One Piece flag in protest of transportation reforms that they felt overlooked working-class drivers in favor of centralized, elite interests. Others say the political use of the One Piece flag originated during 'Dark Indonesia' student protests earlier this year. Either way, the truckers' pirate flags went viral on social media, gaining traction among others that also adopted it as an expression of broader discontent with Prabowo's government, which has been criticized over its economic policies, expansion of the military's role in government, as well as concerns about corruption, democratic decline, and more.
The sentiment, 'red and white are too sacred to be flown in this dirty country'—referencing the colors of the national flag which symbolize sacrifice and purity, respectively—has also been widely shared by proponents of the One Piece flag protest in the nation of 284 million people.
'Massive movement'
Indonesian sociologist Bagong Suyanto told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the anime flag became a 'massive movement' because of its wide appeal across ages and social classes as well as because of its low barrier to entry.
'They all felt the government's policies marginalised their interests,' he said, and 'they don't need to take to the streets, confront authorities, or face police batons.'
Others have said the source material itself, which has a large fanbase in Indonesia, has served as inspiration.
'Fighting against oppression and inequality is a major theme' of One Piece, which encourages fans 'to take a stand against injustice and fight for social justice,' according to a 2023 blog about the anime.
In Central Java, flag seller Dendi Christanto told a local news outlet that he received 'thousands of orders' for the One Piece flag since Prabowo's July speech.
An unnamed resident in Surabaya said that they were not raising the One Piece flag to be unpatriotic: 'I actually did it as proof that I still love this country. But I'm disappointed with the officials' behavior, their policies that favor the elite while ignoring the common people. Currently, taxes are getting higher and many officials are corrupt.' Another Surabaya resident said he'd raised the One Piece flag alongside the national flag but that while he'd take down the national flag after August, as is tradition, he'd keep up the One Piece one to continue to express his 'disappointment' with the government.
It's not the first time activists in Southeast Asia have rallied around a fictional symbol for real-world dissent. For more than a decade, opponents of the military- and monarchy-aligned establishment in Thailand have embraced the Hunger Games' three-finger salute.
But in a country where freedom of expression has been 'repressed' and past protests met with 'excessive and unnecessary' police force, according to Amnesty International, Indonesian authorities have been divided on how to react to this latest nonviolent demonstration.
'May even be treason'
Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, who is the executive of Prabowo's right-wing Gerindra party, urged the public on July 31 to 'resist' the One Piece flag protest movement, calling it 'a coordinated attempt to divide the nation.' Firman Soebagyo, a lawmaker of the conservative Golkar party, said the same day that the protest movement 'may even be treason.'
Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan warned on Aug. 1 that those who raise the One Piece flag could face 'criminal consequences,' citing a 2009 law under which those found guilty of desecrating the national flag can face up to five years in prison or a fine amounting to about $30,000. 'The government will take firm and measured legal action if there are elements of intent and provocation to ensure order and the dignity of state symbols,' Budi said, telling the public to avoid displaying 'symbols which are not relevant to the nation's struggle' ahead of Independence Day.
Minister of Human Rights Natalius Pigai suggested on Aug. 3 that the government even had the right to ban the One Piece flag on national security grounds, though the government has not taken steps to do so.
Still, at the local level, police in certain areas across the country have been reported to have cracked down on vendors and displayers of the One Piece flag. Police in Jakarta said on Aug. 5 that they were 'monitoring the use of non-national flags and symbols that don't align with the spirit of nationalism, including pirate or fictional-themed flags.'
Enforcement, however, has been inconsistent—and in some cases, reports of heavy-handed responses to the protest have inspired others to join the movement.
'By treating a cartoon flag as a threat to national security, they have inadvertently validated the entire premise of the protest,' Farhan Rizqullah, a self-identified One Piece fan and former foreign policy analyst assistant for the Indonesian Parliament, wrote in a blog post on Medium analyzing the flag protest.
'I don't even like anime,' Dinda, a 31-year-old banker who said she changed her Instagram profile picture to the pirate flag, told regional news outlet CNA. 'But the way the government reacted? It made me want to post it even more. It's just a flag. Chill.'
'We need criticism'
To be sure, not everyone in the Indonesian government opposed the protest movement. Deddy Yevri Sitorus of the opposition Democratic Party of Struggle said on July 31 that raising the One Piece flag should not be criminalized, calling it a 'symbolic action,' which is 'better than street protests that could turn violent.'
Prabowo himself has not directly addressed the One Piece flags, but, according to State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi, he did not mind it as much as other ruling-party and conservative officials did. 'It is OK as a form of expression,' Prasetyo said on Aug. 5, promising Prabowo would not order any raids against those who raised the flag, though he cautioned that the law had to be followed, including that the national flag be flown higher if raised alongside other symbols.
'We must not bring it into conflict, or fly it to oppose the Red-and-White flag,' said Prasetyo. 'As Indonesians, we must recognize that the Red-and-White is our only flag.'
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Bima Arya Sugiarto reiterated that perspective on Aug. 5, telling local news of the One Piece flag trend: 'There's nothing wrong with it, as long as the Red and White flag takes precedence.'
Bima framed the protest movement as a shining example of free speech in Indonesia, which is widely regarded as the third-largest democracy behind India and the U.S., though critics have complained of creeping authoritarianism in all three. 'In a democratic society,' said Bima, 'even something like One Piece becoming a trend can be a space for expression, a place where people reflect, critique, and send messages.'
Separately, the independent Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights appeared to latch onto the One Piece trend, posting on Instagram that the anime offered 'countless lessons about human rights' on Aug. 13. 'Who says learning about human rights has to be rigid? … The story isn't just about finding treasure, but also full of social criticism and values of fighting against injustice.'
Prabowo, for his part, seemed to indirectly address the tangible discontent across Indonesia in his first State of the Nation address on Friday.
'We need criticism,' he said, 'although some of the criticism can be suffocating. But no problem, don't stop criticizing.'
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