August 4, 2025 | 04:24 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Willy Aditya, the chair of the NasDem Party's central leadership council for Public Communication, said raising the One Piece flag—Indonesian youth's current form of protest—is inappropriate.
"This is a political expression that unfortunately is misplaced. Criticisms against the government should not erode patriotism or love for the homeland," said Willy, as quoted from a statement on Nasdem's official website on Saturday, August 2, 2025.
The One Piece flag-raising activity, he said, reflects the incapability to differentiate between the nation and the government. "While the criticism is thrown at the government, it affects the country," said this member of the House Commission XIII.
Willy concedes that the anime-based flag could not be equated with disrespecting the national symbol, especially since the symbol itself is not banned, unlike those of separatist movements or countries without diplomatic ties with Indonesia.
Willy suspects that this comes from the energetic, idealistic, and courageous young people who challenge injustice. But he believes that this spirit often lacks sufficient reasoning.
The black flag featuring a skull and crossbones is being hoisted by people across the country. Riki Hidayat, a resident of Kebayoran, sees the raising of the One Piece flag as a symbol of protest or an expression of dissatisfaction with the government, which has been deemed incapable of protecting the rights of citizens.
"This is not about losing nationalism," said Riki, adding that nationalism would lose its meaning if the country does not provide adequate protection commensurate with the taxes paid by the people.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad referred to the installation of the Jolly Roger flag as an effort to divide the nation. According to him, there is a systematic effort to disturb the unity of Indonesia through the installation of this flag.
Subsequently, in a statement the following day, Dasco urged the public not to juxtapose the red and white flag with the One Piece flag, as many older generations are oblivious to One Piece.
Eka Yudha contributed to the writing of this article
Editor’s Choice: From Campaign Symbol to Perceived Threat: The "One Piece" Flag in Indonesian Politics
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