Rope Snaps During 81st Independence Day Ceremony, UIN Medan Security Guard Climbs Flagpole

A video of a security guard at a campus in Medan climbing a flagpole during the 81st Independence Day commemoration ceremony has gone viral. The incident took place at the State Islamic University of North Sumatra (UINSU). The guard, named Bayu, was seen climbing the pole after the flag rope snapped while the flag-raising team (Paskibra) was preparing to attach the flag.

‘I happened to be securing the location of the 81st Independence Day ceremony at UINSU Pancing. When the Paskibraka pulled the rope, the rope connection broke. I immediately took action and ran towards the flagpole,’ Bayu said in an interview.

Bayu said the action was purely his own initiative to help ensure the flag-raising ceremony proceeded solemnly. ‘It was purely my own initiative. Looking at body posture, I think I am the smallest, so I am light. I thought the ceremony should not be disrupted just because the rope broke. We would be ashamed before our fallen heroes,’ he said.

Bayu admitted he was trembling as he climbed the flagpole because the newly painted pole was still slippery. ‘I took off my shoes and threw aside my phone and immediately climbed the flagpole. As I climbed, I began to tremble. The pole is quite tall, and it had just been painted, so it was still slippery,’ he said.

According to Bayu, part of the rope hook came loose when a Paskibraka member was pulling it. ‘The rope came loose. There is a hook in the middle, like the one on a backpack. I am not sure how the Paskibraka pulled it, but it was not intentional. It was an unexpected incident. When it was pulled, it came loose,’ he explained.

After retrieving the broken rope, Bayu climbed back down and handed the reconnected rope to the Paskibra members on duty. ‘Once I had taken the rope connection from above, I climbed down and it was fixed by the UIN Pancing Paskibraka, and the ceremony resumed as normal,’ he said.