BEKASI, Indonesia/KARANGANYAR, Indonesia (Reuters) -Spraypainting brick walls in an empty yard, Indonesian artist Kemas Muhammad Firdaus braved midday heat to paint a skull in a straw hat on a black background, a nod to the Japanese manga series “One Piece” about treasure-hunting pirates.
Over the past month, students and activists in the world’s third-largest democracy Indonesia have put up the pirate sign used by “One Piece” character Monkey D. Luffy as a symbol of protest against several government policies ahead of the country’s Independence Day on August 17.
Some officials have lambasted the sign, with a member of parliament saying it was akin to treason. President Prabowo Subianto’s office said that while the country respects freedom of expression and criticism, the sign could undermine Indonesia’s national flag if flown side by side.
Kemas, 28, a mural artist in West Java’s Bekasi district, said he was painting the pirate sign as a form of protest against government corruption and unemployment.
“Many Indonesians are hoisting the ‘One Piece’ flag because they want the government to listen to them,” Kemas said in an interview while drawing his mural, which shared some design elements of the official logo for Indonesia’s 80th anniversary.
In Central Java’s Karanganyar district, custom-made flag seller Dendi Christanto said he had received an overwhelming number of “One Piece” flag orders over the past month and had stopped accepting them.
The pirate sign has dominated Indonesian social media, and its popularity follows student protests in February across several cities against budget cuts and other policies, such as an increased role of the military in civilian life. Students and activists dubbed the demonstrations as “Dark Indonesia”.
Indonesia has a history of student activism and protests that sometimes turn violent. In 1998, students held a series of demonstrations against corruption, food shortages and mass unemployment that ended in deadly riots in May and the downfall of former President Suharto after decades of authoritarian rule.
This week, local media reported that authorities in East Java confiscated some of the “One Piece” flags, a move criticised by Amnesty International as heavy-handed.
“They didn’t have to do all that, accusing them of dividing Indonesia – that’s wrong,” artist Kemas said. “It’s just art.”
President Prabowo’s office said the government did not order any raids.
(Reporting by Yuddy Cahya Budiman in Bekasi and Budi Purwanto in Karanganyar; Writing by Stanley Widianto and Ananda Teresia; Editing by Tom Hogue)
