The Face of Law Supremacy: A Media Content Analysis on Artalyta’s Luxurious Prison Case on The Jakarta Globe Newspaper Rino Febri STIKOM the London School of Public Relations-Jakarta Ariesa Lie A professional Abstract This research looks at the potrayal of the Indonesian government, particularly the law en- forcement institution that was responsible for the luxurious prison case of Artalyta and some other wealthy inmates. This issue came to surface when a sudden inspection was conducted by a newly established Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force on Sunday, 10 January 2010 at Pondok Bambu Penitentiary. The discovery of the inspection was actually no big sudden as it has become a public secret. However, it still disgraced the image of the government since the media blew this issue up and eventually gained public’s attention. This research used a quantitative media content analysis method. This method used numbers as the basis of data interpretation and elaboration to the rel- evant theories. Precisely 53% of the total articles written contained unfavorable impressions of the Indonesian government. Government’s dishonest and corrupt were impressions appeared in the news. Nonetheless, some articles appeared favorable toward the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights as a result of strict action taken against corrupted officials. Introduction sudden inspection to a women’s penitentiary in Life in a jail has always been projected Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta. as a nightmare by common people and mass The task force discovered Artalyta, the media. The smell, the dirt and even the room- convict of the bribery to Urip Tri Gunawan case, mates are always told to be awful. The jail even the prosecutor of BLBI case for BDNI (Bank might represent the image of the world hell. How- Dagang Negara Indonesia), was on her facial ever, on January 2010, the mass media reported treatment with a private dermatologist. But ap- shocking news about a tycoon’s life in prison. In parently Artalyta was not the only convict that contrary to the old belief about living in a jail, a received the special privileges in the penitentiary. tycoon is able to transform a filthy cage into a There were Liem Marita (also known as Aling), palace. As a wizard flicks his wand to transform Darmawati Dareho, Ines Wulandari, Eri Fuad something, the tycoon can do the same thing by and Lidya Pratiwi. Four of the six special-privi- swishing his money to the officers in the prison. leged convicts were related to graft and bribery Thus they can turn the jail into their second castle. cases, which mean they were the Corruption This ironic fact was revealed when the Judicial Eradication Commission’s (KPK) patients. Mafia Eradication Task Force (Satuan Tugas The newly unveiled truth eventually led Pemberantasan Mafia Hukum) conducted a to another discovery of aberration conducted by the wardens of penitentiaries. The media even investigated and reported more on the “transac- Email: [email protected] tions” conducted under the penitentiary’s roof. The Indonesian Journal of Communication Studies (IJCS) 15 The Face of Law Supremacy Rino Febri and Ariesa Lie The media even aggressively exposed the ‘pub- can be bought with money. This fact is like a slap lic secrets’ which often happen in Indonesia’s on the face especially for a law enforcement in- penitentiaries such as: when a convict gets a visi- stitution under a president authority. tor, the guest will have to ‘pay’ some amount of The Jakarta Globe is an English news- money to the wardens and officers inside the paper, published in Indonesia, especially Jakarta. penitentiaries. There are even more fees when This paper is commonly read by foreigners who the guest and the convict want to have a private reside in Jakarta. Since the circulation is mostly meeting. around Jakarta’s business area, the researcher The most disturbing fact is that the assumed that it is also mostly read by foreigner wealthy and powerful can enjoy special privi- business people in Jakarta. Thus what the paper leges and treatments in radical contrast to the says about one issue might grab their attention average inmates (The Jakarta Globe online, 15/ and affect the readers’ point of view, especially 01/2010). They can enjoy a luxury life even in- how the foreigners see the credibility of the In- side the jail. When the common convicts (such donesian government. Through the content of the as a thief) have to be crammed inside a 2mx2.5m news, people can judge whether the government to 3mx4m cell, the wealthy convict like Artalyta is strict about the regulation or on the contrary, dwelled in an 8mx8m private room with luxuri- can easily be bought with money. Then it might ous facilities. The Artalyta’s luxurious-cell case determine the foreigners’ attitude towards Indo- had disgraced the credibility of the Pondok nesian law and regulations. The research prob- Bambu chief warden, Sarju Wibowo, and re- lems of this research are: How is the image of sulted to the suspension of the chief warden. the Indonesian government projected by The This sudden inspection was actually Jakarta Globe? And what attributes are used by started by an investigation team of Tempo The Jakarta Globe in describing the governmen- Interaktif media. They previously did the pre- tal institutions related to this case? liminary investigation, visit and interview with Artalyta at her cell. However, what they saw on Conceptual Framework the scheduled interview day was different from Government and Politics what they had seen previously in the investiga- Every group or organization needs a tion. They found Artalyta had arranged her pri- leader to unite, drive and coordinate the group vate luxurious cell to be a workshop room for members to achieve their mutual goals. Without the inmates before the journalists from Tempo a leader, the members will not be united and work came for the interview. Thus, before the publi- together as one to achieve their mutual purpose. cation day of the investigation report, Tempo They will work as individuals to achieve their in- advertised its special edition and eventually at- dividual goals and might also compete against tracted the Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force. each other. Thus when a nation decides to build The Task Force immediately contacted the press its country, they must choose a leader, to whom from various media and assembled them for the they can trust the future of their country. A leader sudden inspection. “We were afraid that the peni- to whom people pay respect and look up to be tentiary officers would re-arrange their cells af- a role model. ter the investigation report published”, said Denny Literally, the word ‘government’ means Indrayana, the secretary of the Task Force a person who drives the ship or sees forward (Tempointeraktif.com, 11/01/2010). The dis- (the future). Then, ‘govern’ means looking for- covery of this inconvenient truth would not have ward, deciding policies in order to achieve soci- been this shocking without the interference of the ety-national goals, estimating the national devel- media in the sudden inspection with the Judicial opment in the future, organizing and directing the Mafia Eradication Task Force. However, most society to the determined goals” (Nurtjahjo, of the Indonesian people might have known 2005, p.4). According to the above definition about the issue about justice, in Indonesia, that and explanation, the researcher conducted a re- 16 The Indonesian Journal of Communication Studies (IJCS) The Face of Law Supremacy Rino Febri and Ariesa Lie search about the ‘government image’ which cov- In order to realize the law supremacy in ers the President; the House of Representative; Indonesia, the government has put a strong fun- government’s law and justice enforcement insti- dament of policy to fight against corruption. All tutions that established by the national constitu- policies are included in the constitutions. Thus, tions (Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the Corruption Eradication Commission or Corruption Eradication Commission, the Direc- Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) was torate General of Penitentiary and the officials) established based on Undang-Undang no. 30/ or by the President’s mandate (the Judicial Ma- 2002 Tentang Komisi Pemberantasan Tindak fia Eradication Task Force); the government’s Pidana Korupsi. KPK has the authority to con- activities, actions or efforts in order to accom- duct the investigation, prosecution, coordination plish its duties in enforcing the law and justice and supervision with other law enforcement in- towards the ‘luxurious prison case’. stitutions. The formation of the organizational structure, working procedures and authority of Indonesian Law Enforcement Institutions each member are regulated by the constitution. Attorney General The vision of the KPK is to become an institu- “Attorney general is a functional govern- tion that is capable to realize Indonesia as a cor- ment that is given the authority to act as a gen- ruption free country. In order to achieve that vi- eral prosecutor and executor of the final sentence. sion, the mission of the KPK is to lead the The attorney general who acts as the prosecutor changes that can eventually bring Indonesia out has to be independent and uninfluenced by an- of corruption. other party. He or she must not be under influ- ence of government officials. The attorney gen- Imprisonment eral, as the law enforcer, must uphold the law Prison is a specially-built place for the supremacy; protect the public interest and hu- convicts to do their punishment during a deten- man rights, and eradicate corruption, graft, and tion period according to the verdict. Prison con- nepotism” (Hartanti, 2005, p. 32). sists of cage-like cells that limit the inmates from An attorney, as the prosecutor in a crimi- communicating with each other.