Barber in Rancabungur Intimidated by Sub-District Head's Entourage, Bogor Regent Calls for Unity
Bogor Regent Rudy Susmanto has responded to the controversy surrounding the display of the Indonesian flag involving a barber in Rancabungur District. Rudy called on the public to reflect on the meaning of independence and to maintain unity.
“For us, the important thing is that we reflect on the meaning of today’s independence together,” Rudy said after a plenary session of the Bogor Regency Regional People’s Representative Council in Cibinong on Wednesday (12/8/2026).
The statement was made by Rudy when asked by journalists about an incident involving a barber in Bantarkambing Village, Rancabungur District, which went viral on social media after he was reprimanded for not yet displaying the Indonesian flag. The barber is named Nur Hidayat, also known as Abuy.
According to him, the Indonesian flag that can be flown by the public today cannot be separated from the sacrifices of the fighters who seized and defended Indonesia’s independence. “We can only convey to all parties that the flag flying today, as I always say, contains millions of drops of sweat, drops of blood, and the lives of our heroes, our fighters who fell before us,” he said.
Rudy said the struggle of the Indonesian nation did not stop when independence was proclaimed on 17 August 1945. The fighters still had to defend independence in the years that followed.
According to Rudy, the central government, provincial governments and district/city governments have the task of building the nation together with the public. “Our greatest strength lies in all the people we have,” Rudy said.
He assessed that unity is the main asset of the Indonesian nation in continuing development, so that differences within society should not become a trigger for division. “The key to successfully building the nation is only one, as we always say, the last line of defence for our nation is unity. The main enemy of our nation is division,” he said.
Rudy also invited all elements of society to weave together differences and maintain harmony starting from the smallest neighbourhood level at the RT, RW, village, sub-district, district and provincial levels. “Let us unite to build the nation, weaving together all differences, weaving harmony together. Our nation’s strength is considerable,” Rudy said.