The Two-Face of Anies Baswedan: the Inconsistency with Regards to Jakarta Reclamation
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Journal of Language and Literature ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online) Jean Antunes Rudolf Zico Ma’u The Two-Face of Anies Baswedan: The Inconsistency with Regards to Jakarta Reclamation Jean Antunes Rudolf Zico Ma’u [email protected] Graduate Program in English Language Studies, Universitas Sanata Dharma, INDONESIA Abstract Homo homini lupus and the end justifies the means are two general adagios that have been applied in the political contestation. The main idea behind the two adagios is that one should benefit any means necessary at all cost in order to execute the vested political agenda. Such practice is almost found in any domain of political practice, especially in the general election for governor. One of the good examples that describes the case best is the governor election of DKI-1. During this election, one of the candidates, namely Anies Baswedan, has successfully manipulated the environmental issues, namely Jakarta Reclamation, into one of his political weapons by promising that he shall cease Jakarta Reclamation if he has been officially elected as the Governor of Jakarta Special Capitol. Indeed, he has won the election and thus he has kept his commitment by sealing the 932 buildings from Island D. However, several moments later he issued the building permit for a number of buildings in one of the reclamation islands and ever since then people, especially his supporters, have started questioning his commitment toward the cessation of Jakarta Reclamation. Departing from the case, the researcher is encouraged to conduct a study that might disclose the true characteristics of a political figure. Within the conduct of the study, the researcher took a number of statements from the online news portals that have been considered trustworthy and reputable in portraying certain events especially the political ones and at the same time analysed these statements by applying the Fairclough analysis and four questions of critical paradigm. The results of the study show that: (a) Anies Baswedan has not fully kept his commitment toward the cessation of Jakarta Reclamation; and (b) the four questions of critical paradigm might be implemented for criticizing a political figure with several modifications. Keywords: Fairclough analysis, critical paradigm, Jakarta reclamation Introduction statement, there have been many cases that serve as good model for illustrating how the Homo homini lupus is already a widely race for power might be very gruesome. acceptable adagio in any domain of social practice and that also includes the domain of One of the cases that has described best politics. Similarly, another adagio coined by the above explanation might be traced to the Niccolò Machiavelli, the end justifies the Governor Election in Jakarta or known as means, is also widely acceptable in the domain Pilkada DKI Jakarta. The election took place in of social media. Departing from the two 2017 with three pairs of candidates in the adagios, it might be described that people, first round and two candidates in the second especially those who have or at least who round. These candidates were Anies display the thirst of power, will do whatever it Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno, Basuki Tjahaya takes to grant their desire even if it is at the Purnama-Djarot Saiful Hidayat, and Agus expense of others. With regard to the Harimurti Yudhoyono-Sylviana Murni. The 40 Journal of Language and Literature Vol. 20 No. 1 – April 2020 ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online) election had to be conducted in two rounds regard to his consistency in keeping his because in the first round none of the promise to stop the Jakarta Reclamation. The candidates had met the requirement of importance of conducting the study is that unanimous victory. Then, the candidates who through the framing people might learn and opened their way into the second round of eventually define whether a political figure election were Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno will be worth to elect or not so that in the and Basuki Tjahaya Purnama-Djarot Saiful future they will not make a political mistake Hidayat and this was where the fierce that might bring about a fatal consequence. competition for power started. Then, in order to lead the progress in the study, the researcher would like to propose As having been implied in the opening two problem statements. The first problem paragraph of this section, people tend to do statement is related to how Anies Baswedan whatever it takes to deliver their wish has shown his commitment to the media with especially when it comes to power. As a regards to his commitment to stop the Jakarta result, many efforts of black campaign, Reclamation. Through the first problem altogether with hoaxes, overran the media statement, the researcher is trying to identify without any clear trace on who had been how Anies Baswedan has shown his running these efforts. One of the issues that commitment to the media in relation to his had been benefitted within this situation was commitment to stop the Jakarta Reclamation. the Jakarta Reclamation. In one of his Next, the second problem statement is related campaigns, Anies Baswedan, one of the to how people might be critical toward a candidate pairs, said that he would stop the political figure by observing the media frame. Jakarta Reclamation if he had won the Hopefully, the discussions on the problem election. At the end of the election round, it formulation will be able to provide better turned out that Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga information on not only the framing of a Uno had won the election by benefitting the political figure but also the ways to ensure the issues around Jakarta, including the Jakarta worth-selected political figure so that the Reclamation. results of the political contestation might not bring about fatal impact in the future. Two years have passed but it seems that the case of Jakarta Reclamation is far from Reclamation, or land reclamation, refers being solved or even stopped. The recent to “gain of land from the sea, the wetland or development from the case of Jakarta the other water bodies, the restoration of land Reclamation is that without having been use or land productivity that has been noticed the Provincial Government of the degraded by either the human activity or the Province of Jakarta Special Capitol has issued natural phenomena” (OECD, 2001). Similarly, the Building Permit (IMB, Izin Mendirikan according to the Ministerial Regulation Bangunan) to around 932 buildings in the Number 125 of 2018 it is defined that reclamation island. Looking at this situation, reclamation refers to “heap work in the water many people who used to support Anies area or in the coastal area that alters the Baswedan, start to question his commitment coastline and/or the contour of the water to stop the Jakarta Reclamation. On the other depth”. From both definitions, it might be hand, the party that supports him, namely concluded that reclamation is the work of Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (Prosperous Justice expanding the coastal line by gaining land Party (Hanzel, 2011)), has stated that Anies from the sea in order to open a new area that Baswedan has fulfilled his promise with might be benefitted for multiple purposes regards to stop the reclamation. Anies himself such as trade, business, settlement and alike. has admitted that he has kept his promise to stop Jakarta Reclamation. The main objective of reclamation is to turn a degraded wet area or an ill-benefitted The controversy over the Jakarta piece of land into a new area that will be more Reclamation has intrigued the researcher to useful and productive and the new are thus conduct a study to see how Anies Baswedan might be benefitted for certain purposes such has been framed in the news items with as settlement, industrial area, business and 41 Journal of Language and Literature ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online) Jean Antunes Rudolf Zico Ma’u trades, harbour and alike (Administrator, from the identity of both the reporter and the 2016). Departing from the objective, the reader. benefit of conducting the reclamation is that the piece of land that might be lost due to the Departing from the text analysis, the abrasion from the sea might be returned and researcher should move into the discourse that new piece of land might be opened in practice analysis. In the discourse practice front of the coastline so that there will some analysis, the researcher should focus the sort of “fortress” that protects the coastal line. attention to how text is produced and consumed since the text is formed by means Despite the benefits, the conduct of of a discourse practice. In other words, it is reclamation has both the positive and the the discourse practice that defines how the negative impacts (Administrator, 2016). The text is shaped. Then, the relationship between positive impact is that the opening of the new the text analysis and the discourse practice area will improve the social and economic analysis will lead to the sociocultural practice activities since there will be the construction analysis or the third dimension within the of new settlement that will absorb labours model of Fairclough analysis. In conducting and open small-scale business such as shops the sociocultural practice analysis, the main and food stalls; on the other hand, the focus of the researcher should be on the negative impact is that the potential assumption that the social context outside the occurrence of flood might increase, the media has a certain influence on the discourse settlement of the fishermen might be that appears in the media. Therefore, displaced and even the environment might be newsroom might not be considered as an deteriorated.