The Phenomenon Of The One Piece Flag Ahead Of Indonesia's 80th Hut Is A Symbol Of Political Social Criticism

The One Piece flag appears as a symbol of criticism and dissatisfaction with the political and social situation in Indonesia. (Amazon)

JAKARTA The government is considered excessive when responding to calls to fly the pirate flag from the anime and One Piece manga. According to observers, raising the pirate flag is only a form of subtle criticism of the government, not something that must be punished.

Since August 1, as the Indonesian people have flown the Red and White Flag to celebrate the Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia. However, unlike in previous years, at the 80th anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia this time, there was a call to fly the One Piece pirate flag.

The narrative of the raising of the pirate flag from the One Piece manga has been responded to by the government's skepticism. The Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, Budi Gunawan, said that this action was a form of provocation that could reduce the authority and status of the Red and White Flag.

"As a great nation that respects history, we should all exercise restraint, and not provoke with symbols that are irrelevant to the nation's struggle," said Budi Gunawan, quoting ANTARA.

However, the government's reaction was considered excessive. According to social observers, the raising of the One Piece flag is nothing more than a subtle criticism of the government.

The narrative of raising the One Piece flag has appeared in the last few days, in the midst of preparations for the celebration of Indonesia's 80th Anniversary. On social media, there was also a lot of uploads of black One Piece flag photos with a skull symbol and straw hat, which was later named Jolly Roger.

The flag is a typical symbol of the pirate group led by Monkey D. Luffy, the main character in the story by Eiichiro Oda. The Morning Roger flag, citingonepiece.fandom.com, is not only a symbol of power, but also called voicing freedom, personal belief, and friendship.

Meanwhile, the Sime Ratt page states that One Piece has successfully communicated well that Jolly Roger is not just a pirate flag, but the lifeblood of the crew. So, these designs realize the ideals and strengths of each crew in this series.

Therefore, the raising of the One Piece flag is also interpreted as criticism of the government. In addition to describing anxiety over various national problems, this action at the same time voiced hope for the presence of justice and change.

When the feeling of raising the One Piece flag expanded on social media, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad reminded that there are systematic efforts that have the potential to divide the unity and integrity of the nation.

"We also detect and also get input from security institutions, indeed there are efforts, yes, to divide the unity and integrity of the nation," said Dasco at the Parliament Complex, Senayan.

Using popular cultural symbols or idioms as expressions of disappointment and social protests is actually not the first time this has happened. Not only in Indonesia, this is also done abroad.

In May 2014, demonstrators in Thailand imitated Hunger Games' three-finger greeting as a symbol of protest against the military coup led by General Prayuth Chan-o-cha.

In the film, the three-finger symbol is defined as a symbol of respect, the expression of farewell, admiration, and resistance. Meanwhile, Thai activists at that time interpreted the Three Fingers of the Hunger Games as a symbol of freedom, equality, and brotherhood.

A month after adapting the three-finger greeting, the Thai government banned the symbol because it was considered subversion and inspired an uprising.

In Palestine, an artist outsmarted the Israeli authorities' policy of banning flag-raising and the use of national colors (red, green, black, and white) in 1967 using a watermelon symbol.

The image of a watermelon that has the same color as the Palestinian flag is defined as a symbol of hidden resistance. This watermelon symbol reappears and goes viral in 2021 following Israel's military attack on Gaza.

Political observer and social change from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Dominique Nicky Fahrizal said that popular culture is closely related to the majority of Indonesia's current productive generation.

For this reason, the use of symbols such as the One Piece flag is unavoidable.

"There are a lot of pop culture segments, not only young people, but also young adults who are still following," said Nicky, who also loves anime and manga.

However, Nicky doubts that popular cultural symbols will move the masses down to the streets. According to him, this symbol is only enough to make people based, encourage curiosity, and then talk about it in public spaces.

"To capture a wide audience, this is effective. However, for massive movements, organizations and organized movements are needed," he said.

Meanwhile, Lecturer for International Relations at the University of Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), Dr. Ade Marup Wirasenjaya views the pairing of the two flags as a symbol full of meaning. According to him, the Red and White Flag is a symbol of state that must be respected, but the One Piece flag also represents the social expression of the community who is disappointed with the political situation and state administration.

"The raising of the pirate flag is more appropriate to be seen as a form of political social criticism, not a threat to sovereignty. As long as the One Piece flag is not raised higher than the Red and White and is only positioned as a symbol of criticism of state administration, I do not see it eroded sovereignty. This is an expression of a warning against the dominance of power and social inequality felt by the community, "explained Ade, citing the UMY page.

According to him, the phenomenon of raising the One Piece flag arose because people had run out of space to voice criticism. So that people take advantage of the momentum of the independence commemoration, which is symbolically very strong, to convey messages.

The symbolic message is clear, namely independence should not be hijacked by a handful of elites. The term pirate here is a satire that the independence that the nation's founders are fighting for should not be enjoyed only by the power group," he said.

Ade added that the essence of this criticism is to restore the spirit of nationalism so as not to be trapped in mere rituals and ceremonies. Because nationalism is not only a celebration of the ceremony on August 17. However, the spirit of independence must be internalized in policies, elite behavior, and state apparatus.

To prevent suppression of the Red and White flag, Ade suggested that the state continue to prioritize a regulatory approach by strengthening the socialization of rules regarding the use of state symbols.

"The regulations already exist, the position of the country's flag is regulated in law. The government must actively socialize this. But I think this phenomenon should also be seen as an expression of pop culture that contains messages of social and political criticism," he explained.

Furthermore, Ade asked that this phenomenon be used as a form of joint reflection for state administrators so as not to ignore the critical voices of the community conveyed through various cultural expressions.

People still have a sense of love and pride for this country. Therefore, it is important for the government not only to respond to symbols, but also to capture the substantive messages behind it," said Ade ending.