Young Indonesians dissatisfied with the government are flying a flag from the popular anime One Piece ahead of the country’s 80th independence day.
The Indonesian government is clamping down on the display of a popular Japanese anime flag by frustrated youth, with some authorities claiming it could “divide” the nation.
As the country prepares to celebrate Independence Day on August 17, the emblem of the One Piece flag has been increasingly popping up on vehicles and outside homes.
Social media users say they chose the Jolly Roger flag — featuring a skull wearing a straw hat set above two crossed bones — as a sign of defiance because it symbolised courage and rebellion against oppression.
President Prabowo Subianto this week acknowledged the display as an “expression of creativity”, while the state secretary told local media that flying the flag was “OK” as long as people did not oppose the national flag.
However, some authorities were more scathing of the One Piece flag.
Budi Gunawan, the political and security affairs minister, said the government would take “firm action” if there were any deliberate acts of flying the pirate flag on Indonesia’s Independence Day.
“There are criminal consequences for actions that violate the honour of the red and white [national] flag,” he said in a recent press release.
Meanwhile, Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad called it an attempt to “divide the unity of the nation”.
The One Piece fictional series tells a story of Monkey D Luffy and his pirate crew exploring a fantasy world in search of treasure.
“Luffy and friends were pirates who were looking for freedom and opposed the government who was immune from the law,” Indonesian mural artist Radinal Muhtar told the ABC.
“I think the One Piece plot has a lot of similarities with what’s happening in Indonesia.”
Earlier this year, many Indonesians took to social media with the viral hashtag #IndonesiaGelap or “dark Indonesia” to express their fear about the country’s future.
Many young people also expressed a desire to “run away” from the country and pursue a better life.
Mr Muhtar hand-painted the Jolly Roger emblem on the back of his car to express his “disappointment”.
He said he thought it was “low-risk” compared to raising the flag.
“This trend probably reflects people’s concerns, because we’re not doing well economically, it’s hard to find a job, and there are government policies that are harming the people,” he said.
After seeing the One Piece flag flood her social media feed, Ika ordered one and planned to raise it at her share house in the south of Jakarta.
Ika, who did not want to publish her surname due to safety concerns, said even though she never watched the anime series, she wanted to show solidarity with her generation.
“We’re struggling to find jobs, we can’t afford housing, and our future feels uncertain,” she said.
“Even though I’m afraid the police might come after me, this is just my way of expressing myself.”
Local media reported that police interviewed people who flew the flag in several cities, including two in the Riau islands in western Indonesia.
Hamam Wahyudi, a police officer in Tanjungpinang city in the Riau islands, told reporters the two people “violated the law and disrupted public order”.
“The residents said it was a form of disappointment toward the government, but it turned out they were just following the trend,” he said.
Mr Wahyudi said they both signed a statement saying that they would not repeat their actions.
Similarly, police and military personnel visited a person’s house in Tuban, on the northern coast of Java, to confiscate the flag and to question their motives.
Bagong Suyanto, a sociologist from University of Airlangga, told the ABC the One Piece flag trend was a “massive movement” because it cut across social classes and age groups.
“They all felt the government’s policies marginalised their interests,” he said.
Professor Suyanto said displaying the pirate flag, including on social media, was a “form of creativity”.
But the Indonesian authorities were overreacting by using a punitive approach and treating it as a violation of the law, he said.
Adhika Taufiq Wiracatra, who heads the One Piece fanbase called Nakama, said the trend misrepresented what the flag stood for, and would negatively impact the anime series.
“There are some people who are participating in this trend … and haven’t read One Piece from the start,” he said.
“They don’t know the true meaning behind it.”
Mr Wiracatra said the flag’s use in the series occurred when the pirates faced authorities who stood between them and their goals, and simply served as a reminder not to give up.
He warned his members about joining the trend and the risks if they decided to proceed.
“What was done by Mugiwara Pirates in One Piece was to go on an adventure with friends and achieve their dreams,” he said.
Indonesia is not the only country where younger generations have used pop culture references to vent their frustration with the government.
Students in Thailand used the Hunger Games franchise’s three-finger salute to criticise the monarchy in 2020.
They also participated in Harry Potter dress-ups to make a point about “He Who Shall Not be Named” — which was a thinly veiled reference to the Thai king.
Thai activists also used the Japanese cartoon hamster, Hamtaro, to protest the government and monarchy.
Professor Suyanto said these references were a creative and safer way for the millennial generation to protest against state authority and express criticism.
“And I see it as effective … their voices became louder and many political elites have responded, though whether [their] response meets the public expectations is another matter.”
“They don’t need to take to the streets, confront authorities, or face police batons.”
