As the 80th anniversary of Indonesian independence approaches, citizens, from truck drivers to homeowners, have opted to wave the "Jolly Roger" pirate flag from the series, rather than the country’s red-and-white national flag.

They say the flag, which showcases a skull with a straw hat worn by the main character, Monkey D. Luffy, represents a spirit of resistance against injustice. For them, it has become a powerful symbol of their discontent with the state of Indonesia’s democracy, amid myriad issues currently plaguing the country.

Some have even gone as far as recreating the country’s 80th Independence Day logo in the distinctive style of the One Piece flag. It is only fitting for icons from popular culture to be used to symbolize contemporary struggle, characterized by mass layoffs in various sectors and economic hardship resulting from soaring prices of basic commodities.

After all, Luffy and his Straw Hat crew are depicted in the manga as always fighting cruel and despotic figures who torture the common people. The Indonesian people who first used the Straw Hats’ Jolly Roger to represent their endeavor must have been expecting to inspire others to follow in Luffy’s footsteps.

But the plot thickened when various government officials reacted strongly against the One Piece flag phenomenon. It all began with House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, a politician from President Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra Party, who told the press he had received information from security agencies that the One Piece flag movement was a "systemic" effort to divide the nation.

Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai then jumped on the bandwagon, calling the act of raising the pirate flag "an act of treason." Coordinating Politics and Security Minister Budi Gunawan, a retired police general, even threatened to slap criminal charges on those using the One Piece flag to "insult" the red-and-white flag.

On the ground, several reports emerged of people who were flying the pirate flag from their homes being intimidated by police and military officers. Some flags were even confiscated in Tuban, East Java.

The unnecessarily excessive response from these officials was baffling. We condemn the use of repression that constitutes a restriction of the freedom of expression, which the Constitution acknowledges as a basic right.

Calling people traitors and threatening them with imprisonment, let alone sending uniformed and plainclothes security officers to their homes, only shows that the current government finds it difficult to accept criticism and dissatisfaction with the government.

Hoisting a flag from a popular manga is no different from raising a political party or mass organization banners. These flags will never threaten national unity, so there is no point of criminalizing their bearers.

Rather than acting like an authoritarian regime, the government should have looked into why these people are “protesting” with the pirate flag. They should have come to these people with open ears to listen to all their grievances.

The people may have no outlet to express their frustration about losing their jobs, finding difficulties in securing employment or having to live with pollution and unhealthy environments for many years. President Prabowo has ensured the government will not crack down on the flags, but often an order from the highest office fails to materialize on the ground.

The least government officials can do is to sit down and start reading or watching One Piece, so they can learn from Luffy that being a king, or any leadership figure, is not about ruling over the people, but about helping them all live freely without hurting others.