Passage2015, 3(2), 18-38 The Representation of Joko Widodo’s Figure in the Jakarta Post Amalia Dwi Utami English Language and Literature Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia [email protected] ABSTRACT This research investigates the representation of Jokowi’s figure as the governor of Jakarta, the presidential candidate, and the President of Indonesia in the Jakarta Post by using nomination and predication strategies of Discourse Historical Approach (DHA) proposed by Reisigl and Wodak (2009). By employing descriptive qualitative method, this research examines fifteen editorials focusing on Jokowi. The findings reveal three main points. First, deixis and synecdoches become the nomination strategies that signify changes. The strategies signal that the Jakarta Post prefers to focus on Jokowi when he becomes the president since his every action represents the action that the government and Indonesia take. Second, the Jakarta Post prefers to use positive predication strategies in presenting Jokowi’s figure in all categories except in the KPK issue. Third, the signification of the representation indicates that nomination and predication strategies are employed to represent the shift in political support towards Jokowi: from positive to negative. The Jakarta Post supports Jokowi since his performance as a leader is in line with the Jakarta Post values. However, the fact that the Jakarta Post no longer gives him its full support on the KPK issue indicates that his action contradicts the Jakarta Post’s ideology that supports anticorruption movement. Keywords: Jokowi, the Jakarta Post, discourse historical approach, nomination strategies, predication strategies 18 Amalia Dwi Utami The Representation of Joko Widodo’s Figure in the Jakarta Post INTRODUCTION candidate, and the President of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has become Indonesia, is reflected in the news Indonesia’s new media darling. He reporting what he does. The mass gains popularity for his unique ‘street media as the producers of the news democracy’ style of leading starting have the responsibility to present the 0077hen he occupied a position as pros and the cons of what he does the mayor of Surakarta and when he objectively (Cohen-Almagor, 2008). became the Jakarta governor in 2012. However, there is no such thing as In 2014, his popularity increased being neutral in reporting news; they since he was nominated as the will always have standpoint. It is presidential candidate from the because the news will always contain Indonesian Democratic Party of certain ideology (van Djik, 1988). Struggle (PDIP). His nomination has Therefore, news as part of media caused controversy because it plays an important role in happened when he was still in charge constructing what people think is of Jakarta. This controversy real, interesting, beautiful, and moral continued even after he won the (Matheson, 2005). In other words, election; barely a month since his they have power to change the point inauguration, he decided to raise the of view or ideology of a society fuel prices by an average of 30%. His (Trčková, 2011). decision to nominate Comr. Gen. An example of the mass Budi Gunawan who has fat bank media’s standpoint is displayed by accounts as the National Police chief the Jakarta Post. It openly declared also caused an uproar. It happened the endorsement for Jokowi in the since the case ended up with the presidential election campaign criminalization of the Corruption through its editorial entitled Eradication Commission (KPK) “Endorsing Jokowi”. The Jakarta leaders. Post argued that the endorsement His popularity during his was made as a moral choice and was leadership, particularly as the not expected to sway votes governor of Jakarta, the presidential (“Endorsing Jokowi”, 2014). 19 Passage2015, 3(2), 18-38 Nevertheless, the Jakarta Post has systemic-functional linguistics. used its power to change the point of Unger (2010) studies how language view of the society by presenting the ideologies about Scots language are good side of Jokowi during the realized linguistically. Meanwhile, campaign. Chiu and Chiang (2012) examine the Regarding the fact, this use of metaphor in the representation research is conducted to investigate of people’s name rectification how the Jakarta Post’s editorials movement of Taiwan’s indigenous in report Jokowi’s figure as the newspaper. DHA is also used by governor of Jakarta, the presidential Larasati (2014) and Lacerda (2015) candidate, and the President of to investigate news. While Larasati Indonesia. Editorial is chosen to be (2014) focuses on war discourse, analysed since it represents the Lacerda (2015) centers the analysis newspaper’s opinion; i.e. the on the political discourse on favelas ideology of the newspaper (van Djik, (slums). 1988). One of the approaches that Nevertheless, there have not can be used to investigate this issue been many studies about important is Discourse Historical Approach people in the mass media, especially (DHA) proposed by Reisigl and in Indonesian context, that employ Wodak (2009). By employing DHA, DHA. Given that particular reason, this research explores how discursive this research explores how discursive strategies especially nomination and strategies especially nomination and predication strategies are used by the predication strategies are used by the mass media in presenting Jokowi. mass media in presenting Jokowi. Literature shows that there Therefore, the research is conducted have been volumes of studies that to answer the following questions: employ DHA, for instance, van 1. How is Joko Widodo as the Leeuwen and Wodak (1999) who governor of Jakarta and the investigate the rejection of Austrian President of Indonesia immigrants’ family reunion during his first months applications by combining DHA with leadership and as the 20 Amalia Dwi Utami The Representation of Joko Widodo’s Figure in the Jakarta Post presidential candidate power to represent and disseminate represented through particular meaning (Vihersalo, nomination and predication 2009). The group then decides “what strategies in the selected is to be taken as the correct, editorials? appropriate, or preferred 2. What does the representation” (Holquist, 1983; representation signify? Fairclough, 1992; Wodak, 2001 as cited in Wenden, 2005, p. 90). As the LITERATURE REVIEW result, the representation is often The concept of representation is manipulated, exaggerated, or important in this research as it relates distorted (Signes, 2007). to the process of how the mass media Another concept that is important in constructs someone’s figure. From this research is Critical Discourse discourse analysis perspective, Analysis (CDA). To understand the representation refers to the way concept of CDA, it is necessary to language is employed in a text to see how CDA defines discourse. express the underlying meanings of Discourse is not simply an isolated the descriptions of people, places, or textual or dialogical structure (van social practices (van Dijk, 2002). Dijk, 1988). It is seen as socially The representation of immigrants as constructed ways that do not only people who have a higher birth-rate shape but also enable (social) reality in a text, for instance, can be used to (Foucault, 1977; Paltridge, 2006). It show that they are ‘problems’. also helps to establish power The representation relations between social classes, determines the way people think gender, or majorities and minorities about particular objects, events, groups (Wodak & Meyer, 2009). situations, and even social practices Therefore, CDA acts as an approach (Signes, 2007). However, it should that critically investigates the be noted that the representation is not relationship between discourse and always described objectively; it the reproduction of power in social depends on the group who has the practices and interactions 21 Passage2015, 3(2), 18-38 (Fairclough, 1995 as cited in interdiscursivity denotes the Mancini, 2011). connection between discourses in a CDA develops into many various ways through explicit or approaches that emerge with their implicit references (Wodak & own characteristics. They are Forchtner, 2014). Dispositive Analysis (Jӓger and In analyzing a specific Maier), Sociocognitive Approach discourse and related texts, DHA (van Dijk), Social Actors Approach uses discursive strategies as the tools. (van Leeuwen), Dialectical- Discursive strategy means an Relational Approach (Fairclough), elaborate and systematic ways of and Discourse Historical Approach using language to reach a particular (Wodak). The last approach, social, political, psychological, or Discourse Historical Approach linguistic goal (Wodak & Meyer, (DHA), focuses on political issues by 2009). Discursive strategy consists of emphasizing on historical dimension five strategies: nomination, of the issues and the background of predication, argumentation, the social and political fields within perspectivization, and intensification. which the issues are embedded (van Out of those five discursive Leeuwen & Wodak, 1999; Wodak, strategies mentioned above, this 2010). research focuses on two strategies, DHA considers the historical namely nomination and predication and current context of the subject strategies. investigated important as they allow Nomination strategy is a to deconstruct intertextual and strategy in using linguistic devices to interdiscursive relations of the refer to persons, things, places, or subject. Intertextuality refers to the event. By using this strategy, the relation of one text to other