He made the statement after leading a ceremony to mark Indonesia`s 66th independence anniversary here on Wednesday, attended by military and police personnel, students and community as well as youth organizations.
Many people in the region did not fly the national flag in front of their houses in connection with the anniversary commemoration.
Commenting on this fact, Irwandi said "the commemoration is not only about whether there are a lot of people flying the flag or not but the most important thing is that the red and white is still kept in the hearts of the Aceh people."
He said the commemoration of the independence day in the region is just like other regions such as in Java or Padang.
"We however must admit that more red and white flags were flown during the conflict era. This means that people have more freedom now after the conflict," he said.(*)
A042/H-YH/HAJM/F001
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
