Tanjungpandan – The National Unity and Politics Agency (Kesbangpol) Belitung Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands Province, took down the Red and White Flag because it was no longer suitable to be flown.
“I took down and replaced the worn and torn Red and White Flag with a new Red and White Flag,” said Kesbangpol Belitung employee, Sulisman in Tanjung Pandan, Sunday.
He received reports from the public regarding the presence of a worn and torn Red and White Flag in the yard of a shophouse on Jalan Hasyim Idris, Pangkalalang Village, Tanjung Pandan.
According to him, the Red and White flag was still installed on the flagpole without the shophouse tenant paying attention.
“As the person who received the call, I rushed to the location in question and indeed found the Red and White Flag already in a worn, torn condition and the colors had become dull,” he said.
He deeply regrets this condition even though the Red and White flag is a symbol of the state as stipulated in Law Number 20 of 2009 concerning the Flag, Language and National Emblem, as well as the National Anthem.
“Arriving at the location, I immediately asked a shophouse renter who did not want to be named that the flag had been there before he rented the shophouse, it is estimated that it had been installed two years ago,” he said.
After that, without thinking and wasting time, he immediately took down the flag and replaced it with a new Red and White Flag.
Sulisman believes that this incident has two positive and negative points of view.
“The positive side is that I am proud that there are still people who care about reporting the Red and White Flag which is no longer properly displayed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the negative side, he continued, is evidence that the nation’s generation’s sense of nationalism is starting to fade in responding to the importance and meaning of the Red and White flag, which is a symbol of the country that must always be respected and protected.
“I felt called to replace the dull flag with a new flag,” he said.
He hopes that this action can remind the public to always respect and protect the country’s symbol, namely the Red and White flag.
“The Red and White flag has historical meaning for the Indonesian people. To raise the Red and White flag requires the struggle and sacrifice of the nation’s heroes with their sweat, blood and tears,” he said.
Read Also:
BKKBN says the prevalence rate of stunting in Belitung is 19.6 percent
Editor : Marcellus Widiarto
Writer : Between