REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- A day after a rally on Monday (January 16) in front of the National Police headquarter, South Jakarta, the photograph of a demonstrator carried Indonesian flag caught netizen attention. One of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) sympathizer brought 'Sang Merah Putih' with sentence of tauhid in Arabic written on it.
Two days afterwards, National Police Chief Gen. Tito Karnavian gave a statement. Tito said he would summon the field coordinator of the rally. "We will ask the coordinator and we'll see his sportivity. He cannot argue that he did not know anything about it," Tito reiterated on Wednesday (January 18).
Tito said whoever wrote anything on Indonesian flag is considered violating the law. The flag is a symbol of the country, so it is forbidden for any person to write anything on it. He/she who did so will face a sentence of a year maximum.
It did not take long before the netizen realize there were another similar cases. The police have not taken any legal action against it. The netizen were referring to the case of the phrases "Metallica" and "Kita Indonesia" written on 'Sang Merah Putih' (The Red and White).
Jakarta Metro Police promised to investigate the case of an Indonesian flag with the words "Kita Indonesia" and "Metallica" written on it. The statement was stated by the Head of Public Relations of Jakarta Metro Police, Commissioner Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono. "We are investigating it deeper. It is mentioned in the Constitution about the state symbols. We have laws. There may not (any writings on the state symbols). There is a regulation on it,” said Argo in East Jakarta on Thursday (January 19).
Argo insisted that whoever added writing on the state symbols may be subjected to criminal. Likewise, he said, the Indonesian flags with the word "Metallica" expanded by the fans of the bands in the concert at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK).
However, the investigation should be done after a report in advance. It can be filed by the police or other parties. "We work by reports. Later we will follow it up,” said him.
He also added that the flag written with ‘Kita Indonesia’ was seen in a demonstration at Hotel Indonesia roundabout (Bundaran HI) on Sunday, December 4, 2016. He said the police would see whether it is directly attached on a room or affixed on the streets. It would be investigated later.
This is not the first time for an Indonesian flag be written with words. The most interesting moment was when a heavy metal group band Metallica had their concert in Senayan on August 25, 2013. At that time, the band unfurled a red and white flag with the phrases "Metallica Solo-Indonesia". A flag with the same phrase also laid by their fans.
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