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flag history

Merah Putih: Indonesia’s Red-and-White National Flag

Merah Putih is Indonesia’s red-over-white national flag. Explore its familiar symbolism, independence history, preservation and the historic flag’s reported measurements.

By ThatPainter Team 2 min read
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Merah Putih means “red and white” in Indonesian and commonly refers to Indonesia’s national flag, also called Sang Merah Putih. Its design is a red horizontal band above a white one. The name can also describe the colors in other contexts; here it refers to the flag.

What do the colors mean?

A familiar interpretation is that red represents bravery and white represents purity. These are conventional symbolic associations, not the only meanings the colors may carry across Indonesian culture and history.

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The flag’s significance is also bound up with independence, unity and shared national identity. A government-published history of Merah Putih describes its story as part of Indonesia’s struggle and presents the flag as an image through which people understand the country.

When was the flag first raised?

The historic flag was raised at Indonesia’s independence proclamation on 17 August 1945, at Jalan Pegangsaan Timur 56 in Jakarta. Fatmawati is credited with sewing it after returning to Jakarta from exile in Bengkulu. The account by Direktorat Pelindungan Kebudayaan says Chaerul Basri obtained fine cotton cloth for the flag, which Latief Hendraningrat and Suhud raised at the proclamation.

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How was the historic flag preserved?

From Jakarta to Yogyakarta

When President Sukarno, Vice President Mohammad Hatta and ministers moved to Yogyakarta on 4 January 1946, the flag went with them and was flown at Gedung Agung.

During the Dutch attack in 1948

When the Dutch attack began on 19 December 1948, Sukarno entrusted the flag to his aide Husein Mutahar. The cultural-protection directorate’s account says Mutahar opened the stitching that joined the red and white panels so he could carry them separately and reduce the risk of the flag being seized. The account credits this episode with helping preserve the flag.

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What are the historic flag’s measurements?

Direktorat Pelindungan Kebudayaan reports that the historic flag originally measured 300 cm long by 200 cm wide. When it was remeasured on 13 November 2014, it measured 276 cm long by 199 cm wide. These figures describe the historic artifact; they do not establish general manufacturing dimensions for contemporary Indonesian flags.

The historic object is known as Bendera Pusaka. It should not be confused with an ordinary newly made flag. If you are buying or painting a flag, check the intended dimensions and proportions from a reliable specification for that use; the artifact measurements above are not a substitute.

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Do the colors come from an ancient flag?

Red and white have precedents in older Indonesian political and cultural traditions, including banners associated with Majapahit and examples from regional history. Government accounts connect the national colors with these earlier traditions, but that does not establish one definitive, uninterrupted origin for the modern flag’s design. The careful conclusion is that the colors have historical associations, not that the present flag can be traced to a single settled source.

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Merah Putih as a subject for painting

For a painter, Merah Putih offers a simple, immediately recognizable two-band composition. Its simplicity does not make its history interchangeable with the design: the national flag is a symbol tied to a particular independence story and shared identity. The historical artifact’s measurements are not general specifications for a painted depiction, and the sources cited here do not establish a special artistic version or a separate canonical painting called Merah Putih.

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