Flag of Indonesia

Flag of Indonesia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The national flag of Indonesia, which is known as Sang Saka Merah Putih ("The Red and White") in Indonesian,[1] is based on the flag of the 13th century Majapahit empire. The flag itself was introduced and hoisted in public at the Indonesian Independence Day ceremony, on August 17, 1945. The design of the flag has remained the same ever since.

The design of the flag is simple with two equal horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom) with an overall ratio of 2:3.[1] The flag is similar to the flag of Poland and flag of Singapore, and is identical to the flag of Monaco (except for the ratio). Red represents courage, while white represents purity of intent.

History of the Flag

Its colors are derived from the banner of the 13th century Majapahit Empire. Later, these colors were revived by students and then nationalists in the early 20th century as an expression of nationalism against the Dutch. The red-white flag was flown for the first time in Java in 1928. Under Dutch rule, the flag was prohibited. It was adopted as the national flag on August 17, 1945, when independence was declared and has been in use since then.

Alternative History

There is also another story about the flag of Indonesia, which is significantly related to the flag of the Netherlands. Under Dutch colonialism, every administration used the Netherlands (Red-white-blue) flag. The flag of Indonesia was prohibited. To symbolize the intention of forcing out the Dutch, the Indonesian nationalists and independence movement tore apart the Dutch flag. They tore off the bottom third of the flag, and separated the red and white colors from the blue color. The main reason was because blue in the Dutch flag was understood as standing for the "blue blooded" aristocracy. Conversely, the red color represented the blood shed in the War of Independence, while the white could be understood to symbolize the purity of the Indonesians.[2]

Name of the Flag

The official name of the flag is Sang Merah Putih (The Red White) according to Article 35 of the 1945 Constitution. The flag is commonly called Bendera Merah Putih (Red White Flag). Occasionally, it is also called Sang Dwiwarna (The bicolor). Sang Saka Merah Putih (The Lofty Red White) refers to the historical flag called Bendera Pusaka (heirloom flag) and its replica. The Bendera Pusaka is the flag that was flown in front of Soekarno's house a few moments after he proclaimed Indonesia's independence on August 17, 1945. The original Bendera Pusaka was sewn by Mrs. Fatmawati Soekarno, and was hoisted every year in front of the presidential palace during the independence day ceremony. It was hoisted for the last time on August 17, 1968. Since then it has been preserved and replaced by a replica because the original flag was deemed to be too fragile.