Flag of Indonesia

Flag ratio: 2:3

The national flag of Indonesia which is known as "Sang Merah Putih" in Indonesian is based on the flag of the Majapahit empire, back in the 13th century. The flag itself was introduced and hoisted in public at the Indonesian Independence Day ceremony, on August 17, 1945. For over 60 years, the design of the flag has not changed, as well as the ratio of the colors.

The design of the flag is a simple two-colored flag with two equal horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom) with 2:3 ratio consecutively. The flag is similar to the flag of Poland, and is identical to the flag of Monaco (except for the ratio). Red represents the bravery, while white represents the spiritual. Moreover, there is a song titled "Merah Putih" (Red and White) and is one of the national songs.

History of the Flag

Its colors are derived from the banner of the 13th century Majapahit Empire. Later, these colors were revived by students and then nationalists in the early 20th century as an expression of nationalism against the Dutch. The red-white flag was flown for the first time in Java in 1928. Under Dutch rule, the flag was prohibited. It was adopted as the national flag on August 17, 1945, when independence was declared and is still being used until now.

Alternative History

There is also another history about the flag of Indonesia, which is significantly related to the flag of Netherlands. Under the Dutch's colonialism, every governance used the Netherlands (Red-white-blue) flag and the present flag of Indonesia was prohibited. To symbolize the intention of forcing out the Dutch, the Indonesian nationalists and independent movement tore apart the Dutch flag. They tore the 2/3 section of the flag and separated the red and white colors from the blue color. The main reason was because blue in the Dutch flag was understood as standing for the "blue blooded" aristocracy. Vice versa, the red color represented as the blood shed in the war of independence while the white could be understood as the purity of the Indonesians. In addition to this, the red color may be derived from Sukarno's ideology, which was sympathetic to the PKI communist^[1].

Name of the Flag

The official name of the flag is Sang Merah Putih ("The Red White") according to Article 35 of the 1945 Constitution. The flag is also called Sang Dwiwarna ("The bicolor") by the people.Sang Saka Merah Putih ("The Lofty Red White") refers to the historical flag called Bendera Pusaka (heirloom flag) and its replica. The Bendera Pusaka is the flag that was flown in front of Soekarno's house a moment after he proclaimed Indonesia's independence on August 17, 1945. The original Bendera Pusaka was sewn by Mrs. Fatmawati Soekarno, and was hoisted every year in front of the presidential palace during the independence day ceremony. It was hoisted for the last time on August 17, 1968. Since then it has been preserved and replaced by its replica because the original flag was deemed to be too fragile.

Meaning of the Flag

The red stands for courage, while the white stands for purity.The red represents human's body or physical life, while white represents human's soul or spiritual life. Together they stand for a complete human being.^[1]

Traditionally, most Indonesian has been known to use red and white colors as their sacred colors, mixing the color of sugar (the red color comes from palm-sugar or gula aren) and rice (white in color). Inarguably, until today, both of these are the major components of daily Indonesian cuisine or cooking. Apparently, the Javanese's Majapahit Kingdom also used this concept and designed their flag as red and white (9 strips each). Moreover, the red and white color are also used for the Indonesia's distant cousin, Madagascar's as the color of the national flag^[1].

Etiquette

Flag protocols

Similar to most national flags, the flag of Indonesia's etiquette is very strict and essential that there is no exception to disobey it.

• Etiquette relating to the order of precedence for the flag. It is highly possible and often there are more than one flags in an occasion, for instance, the flag of Indonesian military. Below is the order of precedence for the flags:
  • National Flag of Indonesia
  • State Flag of Indonesia
  • Military Flag of Indonesia (in order of creation date)
  • Other Flag of Indonesia
• The United Nations uses alphabetical order when presenting national flags, including the national flag of Indonesia. This etiquette ensures that there is no one country's flag precedence over another country's flag.
• The Indonesian flag should never be allowed to drag along the ground as it disrespects the history of the flag and the history of Indonesia in general.
• When the flag is tattered or faded, that flag must be replaced with a new flag in a good condition.
• It is very important to ensure the flag always goes the correct way up, due to care and consideration.
• When in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display, the flag should be destroyed respectful and dignified way, preferably by burning in private due to care and respect^[2].

Flag display

• The flag should be hoisted with the correct way up, preferably with a pole. However, if it is not possible, the act of hoisting could be done with a rope.
• "Half Staff" or "Half Mast" - The flag is hoisted halfway of the potential height of the pole to denote grief and mourning. In addition, the flag should be raised to the top of the pole first, then lowered it halfway^[2].
• Manner of hoisting - The Indonesian flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously. Usually, the flag raising ceremony is held with the national anthem of Indonesia (Indonesia Raya) while the people or audience should salute the flag. The timing of the hoisting is highly recommended to follow the timing of the national anthem^[3].
• The Indonesian flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit the Flag to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way. Furthermore, there cannot be anything on the flag like drawing, word, picture and mark, nor to place an object on the flag.

Relocation

The National Monument

In 2003, the governor of Jakarta, Sutiyoso planned to relocate the original Bendera Pusaka from the State Palace to the National Monument (Monas). With every aspect of security and economy, the Rp 3.5 billion (US$388,889) project was delayed for one year. Surprisingly, from the 3.5 billion, only Rp 500 million is allocated for the relocation ceremony while most of the remaining Rp 3 billions has been spent to procure around 15 kilograms of gold for the conservation room and security issues such as alarms and security cameras. The whole budget had been proposed in the 2003 revised city budget. The plan was to install the flag in a 24-carat gold plated case in the Independence Room inside the National Monument. Inside the Independence Room, there are three most important things in Indonesia's history, which are the Garuda statue, the Nusantara (Archipelago) map and the original text of the Indonesian proclamation, which all are kept in the gold plated cases^[1].

See also

• List of flags
• Flags of Monaco and Solothurn (Canton of Solothurn): different proportions
• Flag of Poland: same colors, different order

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Flag Of Indonesia Description http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/id.html
2. ^ ^{a b} Indonesian Flag http://www.flags-flags-flags.org.uk/indonesian-flag.htm
3. ^ Pemaknaan Lagu Indonesia Raya http://news.indosiar.com/news_read.htm?id=53826

• Indonesian Flag http://www.flags-flags-flags.org.uk/indonesian-flag.htm
• Description of the flag of Indonesia http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/id.html

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