“No problem, the most important thing is that the Red and White is above all else,” he said when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Sugiarto noted that birthday or anniversary celebrations are a moment to express gratitude and reflect on the journeys completed and achievements made.
“This nation is like a large ship sailing forward. Besides gratitude for all achievements, there must also be evaluation, reflection, and hope for the future,” he added.
Therefore, he described the One Piece flag-raising as a form of public expression in a democratic nation.
“If One Piece is all the rage today in a democratic country, it’s a space for expression, evaluation, and perhaps, criticism and a message to be conveyed,” he said.
Recently, the public has been stirred by the trend of hoisting pirate flags from the Japanese manga series One Piece ahead of Independence Day on August 17, 2025.
The fictional flag shows a white, smiling skull with two crossed bones behind it, set against a black background. The skull wears a yellow straw hat typical of One Piece’s main character, Monkey D. Luffy.
As of August 2, several One Piece flags were spotted at different locations across Indonesia, while many social media users changed their profile pictures to the anime flag.
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Translator: Fianda Sjofjan Rassat, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
