The Bendera Pusaka Sang Saka Merah Putih (English: The Sacred Red and White Heirloom Flag) was the first Indonesian flag. Sewn by Sukarno's wife Fatmawati, it was raised for the first time when Sukarno proclaimed Indonesia's independence on 17 August 1945. Although required by law to be housed in the National Monument, the flag is still kept at the Presidential Palace.
The Bendera Pusaka was sewn by Sukarno's wife Fatmawati. [1] It was based on a 13th-century Majapahit flag, which had nine stripes of red and white. [2]
It was first raised at Sukarno's house at 56 Pegangsaan Timur Street, Jakarta, after Sukarno read the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence. [3] It was hoisted on a short bamboo staff by a group led by Captain Latief Hendaningrat; after its hoisting, the gathered crowd sang "Indonesia Raya". [2] [4]
During the first year of the Indonesian National Revolution, the Bendera Pusaka flew day and night. After the Dutch took Jakarta in 1946, the Bendera Pusaka was brought to Yogyakarta in Sukarno's briefcase. During Operatie Kraai, the Bendera Pusaka was cut in half and given to Indonesian composer Husein Mutahar for safekeeping; Mutahar was told to "protect the flag with [his] life". Despite being captured by and escaping from the Dutch, Mutahar managed to bring the flag to Jakarta, sew it back together, and turn it over to Soedjono. Soedjono later returned the flag to Sukarno, who was in exile in Bangka. [4]
After the end of the war, the Bendera Pusaka was raised once a year in front of the Presidential Palace during Independence Day celebrations. [1] However, due to the flag's fragile state, beginning in 1968 it has been replaced by a replica.[ citation needed ]
In 2003, plans were released to relocate the Bendera Pusaka from the Presidential Palace to the National Monument. In 2004, the relocation was expected to cost Rp. 3.5 billion (US$388,889), with the flag being stored in a 24-karat gold-plated case within the Independence Room of the Monument. [5] However, the relocation has been consistently delayed. [6] As of 2009, its storage at the National Monument has been mandated by law. [3]
The Bendera Pusaka consists of two bands, red at the top and white at the bottom, at a scale of 2:3. The red stands for bravery (Indonesian : keberanian), while the white stands for purity (Indonesian : kesucian). [3] However, alternative meanings have been proposed, including that the red represents palm sugar and the white represents rice, both staples of Indonesian cuisine. [2]
The Bendera Pusaka has been used in the name of the Indonesian student organization Pasukan Pengibar Bendera Pusaka (often abbreviated Paskibraka; English: Bendera Pusaka Flag Hoisting Troop). The organization, which was founded by Husein Mutahar in 1968, provides flag bearers for flag ceremonies in the local and national levels as well as in international functions for overseas Indonesians. [4] This organization has a national board - the National BPFHT Council (Purna Paskibraka Indonesia). Their best appearance is during the Independence Day commemorations every 17 August.
In 2003, the governor of Jakarta, Sutiyoso announced his plan to relocate the original Bendera Pusaka from the Merdeka Palace to the National Monument. For security and financial reasons, the Rp 3.5 billion (US$388,889) project was delayed for a year. Of the Rp3.5 billion, only Rp 500 million was allocated for the actual relocation ceremony, while most of the remaining Rp 3 billion was spent on procuring around 15 kilograms of gold for the conservation room and on security measures such as alarms and security cameras. The spending was proposed in the 2003 revised city budget. The plan was to install the flag in a 24-carat gold plated case in the Independence Room inside the National Monument. Inside the Independence Room, there are three most important relics from Indonesia's history: the Garuda Pancasila statue, the Nusantara (Archipelago) map and the original text of the Proclamation of Independence, which all are kept in the gold plated cases. [7]
The national flag of Indonesia is a simple bicolor with two horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom) with an overall ratio of 2:3. It was introduced and hoisted in public during the proclamation of independence on 17 August 1945 at 56 Proklamasi Street in Jakarta, and again when the Dutch formally transferred sovereignty on 27 December 1949. The design of the flag has remained unchanged since.
"Indonesia Raya" is the national anthem of Indonesia. It has been the national anthem since the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945. The song was introduced by its composer, Wage Rudolf Supratman, on 28 October 1928 during the Youth Pledge in Jakarta. The song marked the birth of the all-archipelago nationalist movement in Indonesia that supported the idea of one single "Indonesia" as successor to the Dutch East Indies, rather than split into several colonies. The first newspaper to openly publish the musical notation and lyrics of "Indonesia Raya"—an act of defiance towards the Dutch authorities—was the Chinese Indonesian weekly Sin Po.
Sukarno was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967.
The National Monument is a 132 m (433 ft) obelisk in the centre of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta. It is the national monument of the Republic of Indonesia, built to commemorate the struggle for Indonesian independence.
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The Merdeka Palace, is one of six presidential palaces in Indonesia. It is located on the north side of the Merdeka Square in Central Jakarta, Indonesia and is used as the official residence of the president of the Republic of Indonesia.
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The Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence, PPKI, Japanese: 独立準備委員会, romanized: Dokuritsu Junbi Iinkai) was a body established on 7 August 1945 to prepare for the transfer of authority from the occupying Japanese to Indonesia. It approved and promulgated the first Indonesian constitution, and appointed Sukarno president.
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Merdeka Square is a large square located in the center of Jakarta, Indonesia. Merdeka is the Indonesian word for freedom or independence. Measuring approximately one square kilometer in area, if the surrounding fields within the Merdeka Square are included, it is considered one of the largest squares in the world. At 75 hectares, it is over five times the size of Tiananmen Square, and 12 times the size of Place de la Concorde.
Fatmawati was a National Hero of Indonesia. As the inaugural First Lady of Indonesia, she was the third wife of the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, and the mother of Indonesia's first female president, Megawati Sukarnoputri. She constructed the first flag flown by Indonesia.
The capital of the Republic of Indonesia is Jakarta, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Southeast Asia. Previously known as Batavia, it was the de facto capital of the Dutch East Indies. In the early 20th century, the Dutch East Indies government attempted to relocate the capital from Batavia to Bandung. During Indonesia's struggle for independence, the Indonesian government moved the capital to Yogyakarta and then to Bukittinggi, where it remained for a short time until the restoration of control to Jakarta. In 2019, during his annual state of the union address at the parliament, President Joko Widodo announced a plan to relocate the capital to Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. As part of the plan, part of Kutai Kartanegara Regency and Penajam North Paser Regency in East Kalimantan will be carved out to create a new province-level planned city, and the capital will be relocated to a more central location within Indonesia. On 17 January 2022, the name was revealed to be Nusantara.
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National symbols of Indonesia are symbols that represent Republic of Indonesia. It can represent Indonesia as a nation, Indonesian people, culture, arts, and its biodiversity. The official symbols of Indonesia are officially recognise symbols that represent Indonesia and enforced through Indonesian laws. These symbols of the state that represent Indonesian nationhood are Garuda Pancasila, Merah-Putih flag, Indonesia Raya national anthem, and Indonesian language.
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The Paskibraka is a youth troop-formed organization and/or flag-raising squad in Indonesia which has the main task to escort, raise and lower the heirloom national flag of Indonesia in Independence day ceremonies commemorating the independence day of Indonesia throughout Indonesia.
Major Muhammad Husein Mutahar was the founder of Paskibraka, a youth organization in Indonesia which has the main task for raising and lowering the heirloom national flag of Indonesia in ceremonies commemorating the independence day of Indonesia. Mutahar was also an Indonesian music composer, especially for national songs and children's songs. As a composer, he was better known as H. Mutahar as his abbreviation name. In addition, as a diplomat Mutahar was once served as Indonesian ambassador to the Vatican in 1969 to 1973.
The Independence Day of Indonesia is a national holiday in Indonesia commemorating the anniversary of Indonesia's proclamation of independence on 17 August 1945. It was made a national holiday by government decree in 1946.
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