Atmosphere of the 81st Indonesian Independence Day Ceremony at IKN, Led by Pak Bas
The red and white flag-raising ceremony to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia at the Ceremonial Plaza of Nusantara Capital City (IKN) on Monday proceeded solemnly and smoothly, attended by around 3,000 participants.
The ceremony began promptly at 07:30 Central Indonesia Time and ran seamlessly, particularly as the Flag Hoisting Troop (Paskibra) entered the field, collected the national flag, raised it, and marched back out.
The flag was raised by Troop 8. Khaliska Refqi Ramadhani, a student from SMAN 1 Samboja, served as the flag bearer.
Enthusiastic applause was given by ceremony participants and members of the public to the Paskibra, who carried out all the flag-raising processions without a hitch.
“Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah,” said Second Police Inspector (Ipda) Jumansyah, Head Coach of the IKN Paskibra, expressing gratitude as he stood behind journalists in the western corner of the ceremony field.
Earlier, as the flag was hoisted and the music played the national anthem Indonesia Raya, attendees also sang the lyrics with great spirit.
Head of the IKN Authority Basuki Hadimuljono, familiarly known as Pak Bas, served as the ceremony supervisor. He led the proceedings without delivering a formal address, yet ensured the entire sequence adhered to protocol.
His presence symbolised that the ceremony in Nusantara is part of an integrated national celebration.
After the flag-raising, the programme continued with entertainment including a colossal dance, a rifle column display, and a choir performing patriotic songs.
The colossal Tiga Suku dance performed by members of the East Kalimantan Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) opened the segment, followed by the rifle column, also by Brimob, and a colossal Harmoni Nusantara dance by students from the IKN delineation area. These performances added to the festivity of the celebration at the Ceremonial Plaza.
The entire programme concluded at 10:00, after which Head of the IKN Authority Basuki Hadimuljono and his deputies proceeded to the Multipurpose Room at the Kemenko 3 Building to watch the heritage flag-raising ceremony at the State Palace in Jakarta, led directly by President Prabowo.
On that occasion, Basuki and his deputies and directors also mingled with the media and engaged in a question-and-answer session. Basuki outlined various advances in IKN development, from infrastructure to the empowerment of surrounding communities.