Republic of Indonesia

Flag Description

The Indonesia flag was officially adopted on August 17, 1945. The flag is modeled after the 13th century banner of the Indonesian Empire; the red stripe represents the body, while the white stripe represents the soul.

The national flag of Indonesia which is known as "Sang Merah Putih" in Indonesian is based on the flag of the Majapahit empire, back in the 13th century. The flag itself was introduced and hoisted in public at the Indonesian Independence Day ceremony, on August 17, 1945. For over 60 years, the design of the flag has not changed, as well as the ratio of the colors.
The design of the flag is a simple two-colored flag with two equal horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom) with 2:3 ratio consecutively. The flag is similar to the flag of Poland, and is identical to the flag of Monaco (except for the ratio). Red represents the bravery, while white represents the spiritual. Moreover, there is a song titled "Merah Putih" (Red and White) and is one of the national songs.
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 is still being used until now.


Modern History

The Dutch colonial presence in Indonesia existed in various forms for over three hundred years until the Japanese occupation during World War II.[12][13] During the war, Sukarno, a popular leader of the Indonesian Nationalist Party, cooperated with the occupying Japanese with the intention of strengthening the independence movement. On 17 August 1945, two days after the Japanese surrender, Sukarno unilaterally declared Indonesian independence. Sukarno was declared the first president and Muhammad Hatta the vice-president. Over the next four years, a bitter armed conflict was fought as the Netherlands tried to win back its colony; in the face of international pressure, the Netherlands recognised Indonesian independence in 1949.
Sukarno's presidency relied on balancing the often opposing forces of the Military, Islam and Communism. Increasing tensions, however, between the powerful Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) and the Military culminated in an abortive coup on 30 September 1965, during which six top-ranking generals were murdered in contentious circumstances. A quick counter-coup led by Major General Suharto resulted in a violent anti-communist purge centered mainly in Java and Bali. Hundreds of thousands were killed the exact figure is uncertain with estimates ranging from 100,000 to as many as two million[19] – and the dominant PKI was in effect destroyed. Politically, Suharto capitalized on Sukarno's gravely weakened position; by March 1967, he had maneuvered himself into the presidency in a drawn out power play between the two. Commonly referred to as the "New Order", Suharto's administration encouraged foreign investment in Indonesia, which become a major factor in the subsequent three decades of substantial economic growth.
In 1997-98, however, Indonesia was the country hardest hit by the East Asian Financial Crisis. This aggravated popular discontent with Suharto, who was already facing accusations of corruption. Popular protests against his now weakened presidency broke out in early 1998[21] and on 21 May 1998, Suharto announced his resignation, ushering in the Reformasi era in Indonesia.[22] East Timor voted to secede from Indonesia in 1999, following the 1975 invasion and subsequent twenty-five-year occupation marked by repression and human rights abuses, for which Indonesia was internationally condemned.
A wide range of reforms have been introduced since Suharto's resignation, including Indonesia's first direct presidential election in 2004, although progress has been slowed by political and economic instability, social unrest, terrorism and recent natural disasters. Although relations among different religious and ethnic groups are largely harmonious, acute sectarian discontent, even violence, remains a problem in some areas. A political settlement to an armed separatist conflict in Aceh was achieved in 2005.




Background Information :

Head of State
:President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

Capital
:Jakarta

Land area
:1,890,000 sq.km.

Population
:215,960 thousands (2004).

Language
:Bahasa Indonesia

Religion
:Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism

Member of
:ASEAN, UN, IMF, ESCAP, FAO, ILO, UNESCO, IBRD, IFC, MIGA, IDB, IDA, ADB, WTO, APEC, ASEM, EALAF

Currency
:Rupiah

GDP
:US$ 208,625 million (2003) at current market prices

Major Industries
:Pulp and paper, cement, basic metals and fertilizer, power generation, telecommunication, transportation

Major Exports
:Textile, electronic goods, footwear, oil & gas, plywood, sawn timber

Major Imports
:Chemical and pharmaceutical, fertilizer, cotton yarns, textile fabric, machines, motor vehicles