When the President Endorses the Nation’s Next Leader: Detecting the Concept of Power in Javanese Culture Through Presidential Communication
Abstract
This article examines how President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) exercises his power through his presidential communication. It focuses on Jokowi’s statement when he endorses presidential candidates by using simple language, codes, and symbols. The purpose of this study is to decipher the possible meaning within the statement of Jokowi regarding his endorsement of presidential candidates. It also attempts to contextualize it within the larger setting of political public relations by using soft propaganda techniques. This study uses a qualitative case study approach that uses the lens of Benedict Anderson’s concept of power in Javanese culture and Eric Louw’s premise about the hype maker or messenger. Researchers argue that Jokowi's communication, in this case, can be interpreted as a political game where the president tries to show his power by deliberately violating political procedures to remove uncertainty among the political elite. The president’s power may also be seen in his soft propaganda communication, which employs “oversimplification” and “logical fallacies” techniques to stir up public emotion and resonance in the media and political elite. This article offers some critical insights on presidential communication strategy from different perspectives, particularly through the concept of power in the Javanese culture, the president’s role as a hype maker, and how political public relations strategies can be harnessed to modify a political process.
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abdurrahman, A., Ruchianderan, R., & Samputra, P.L. (2021). The strategy of Joko Widodo's political communication on the 2019 election winning in Papua. Journal of Strategic and Global Studies, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.7454/jsgs.v4i1.1031
Ahmad, N. (2021). Presidential rhetoric in the COVID-19 pandemic era: Jokowi’s Aristotelian rhetorical leadership models before and after implementation of semi-lockdown policy. Jurnal Komunikasi Ikatan Sarjana Komunikasi Indonesia, 6(1), 72-85. https://doi.org/10.25008/jkiski.v6i1.538
Anderson, B. R. O’G. (1972, 2019). The idea of power in Javanese culture. In C. Holt (Ed.). Culture and politics in Indonesia. Equinox Publishing, pp. 1-70. https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501743900-006
Anderson, B., & Kahin, A. (Eds.). (2009). Interpreting Indonesian Politics: Thirteen Contributions to the Debate. Equinox Publishing.
Anderson, B. R. G. (1999). Indonesian nationalism today and in the future. Indonesia, 1-11.
Bhwana, P. G. & Muthiariny, D. E. (2022, October 3). NasDem officially endorses Anies Baswedan in 2024 presidential election. Retrieved from https://en.tempo.co/read/1641076/nasdem-officially-endorses-anies-baswedan-in-2024-presidential-election
Davis, J. H. & Martin, J. (2016, June 9). Obama endorses Hillary Clinton, and urges Democrats to unite. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/10/us/politics/obama-hillary-clinton-endorsement.html
Davis, J. H. & Martin, J. (2018). Political public relations in Indonesia under the Yudhoyono presidency: Past developments and new formations (Doctoral dissertation). Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia. Retrieved from https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/42838/
De Ferrari, I. (2017). The accountability effect of endorsements: A survey experiment. Electoral Studies, 45, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2016.10.002
Harish, F. (2022, November 27). Jokowi touts 'white-haired' successor to secure legacy. Retrieved from https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2022/11/27/jokowi-touts-white-haired-sucsessor-to-secure-legacy.html
Huang, H. (2015). Propaganda as signaling. Comparative Politics, 47(4), 419–444. https://doi.org/10.5129/001041515816103220
Huang, H. (2018). The pathology of hard propaganda. The Journal of Politics, 80(3), 1034–1038. https://doi.org/10.1086/696863
Hughes-Freeland, F. (2007). Charisma and celebrity in Indonesian politics. Anthropological Theory, 7(2), 177–200. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463499607077297
Jin, S. (2022). Does soft propaganda work? The impact of inequality rhetoric on opinions toward economic inequality in China. The China Review 22(3), pp. 211-241
Jowett, G., & O’Donnell, V. (2015). Propaganda and persuasion (6th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc.
Kernell, S. (2006). Going public: New strategies of presidential leadership. CQ Press.
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2021). Practical research: Planning and design (12th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
Lesmana, T. (2008). Dari Soekarno sampai SBY: Intrik & lobi politik para penguasa. Gramedia Pustaka Umum.
Louw, P. E. (2010). The media and political process (2nd ed.). SAGE.
Makmur, R. (2016). Gaya Dan Karakter Komunikasi Politik Presiden Joko Widodo. Communication, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.36080/comm.v7i1.73
Mattingly, D. C., & Yao, E. (2022). How soft propaganda persuades. Comparative Political Studies, 55(9), 1569-1594. https://doi.org/10.1177/00104140211047403
McCracken, G. (1989). Who is the celebrity endorser? Cultural foundations of the endorsement process. Journal of Consumer Research, 16(3), 310-321. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2489512
Moloney, K. (2006). Rethinking public relations: PR propaganda and democracy. Routledge
Neustadt, R. E. (1964). Presidential power: The politics of leadership. New American Library.
Nugraheny, D.E. & Rastika, N.I. (2022, November 26). Jokowi: Pemimpin yang “mikirin” rakyat itu banyak kerutan di wajah, rambutnya putih [Jokowi: A leader who "thinks about" the people has many wrinkles on his face, his hair is white]. Retrieved from https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2022/11/26/11263181/jokowi-pemimpin-yang-mikirin-rakyat-itu-banyak-kerutan-di-wajah-rambutnya.
Pebrianto, F. & Hantoro, J. (2023, February 17). Jokowi sebut nama capres di harlah PPP: Ada yang enggak hadir [Jokowi names presidential candidates at PPP anniversary: Some are not present]. Retrieved from https://nasional.tempo.co/read/1692839/jokowi-sebut-nama-capres-di-harlah-ppp-ada-yang-enggak-hadir
Purba, K. (2023, January 18). Megawati is reliant on Jokowi, now more than ever. Retrieved from https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2023/01/18/megawati-is-reliant-on-jokowi-now-more-than-ever.html.
Raharjo, P. (2016). Communication styles of Joko Widodo in disseminating slum village planning policy (at Kampung Deret) in Jakarta province. International Journal of Advanced Research 4 (2), 276-285.
Ramadhan, A. (2023, January 10). Belum umumkan capres dari PDI-P, Megawati: Enggak ada, ini urusan gue! [Haven't announced PDI-P presidential candidates, Megawati: Nothing, this is my business!]. Retrieved from https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2023/01/10/12282471/belum-umumkan-capres-dari-pdi-p-megawati-enggak-ada-ini-urusan-gue.
Ryfe, D. (2005). Presidents in culture: The meaning of presidential communication. Peter Lang.
Sanders, K. (2020). Government communication and political public relations. In J. Strömbäck & S. Kiousis (Eds.). Political Public Relations Concepts, Principles, and Applications. Routledge.
Strömbäck, J. & Kiousis, S. (2020). Defining and mapping the field of theory and research on political public relations. In J. Strömbäck & S. Kiousis (Eds.). Political public relations: Concepts, principles, and applications (2nd Edition). Routledge.
Suhendra, D. (2023, February 21). Jokowi-Maruf administration enjoys rebound in public confidence. Retrieved from https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2023/02/20/jokowi-maruf-administration-enjoys-rebound-in-public-confidence.html.
Tambun, L. T. & Paat, Y. (2022, October 9). PDI-P still in dark about 2024 presidential election. Retrieved from https://jakartaglobe.id/news/pdip-still-in-dark-about-2024-presidential-election
Tulis, J. K. (1987, 2017). The rhetorical presidency. Princeton University Press.
Tyson, A., & Apresian, S. (2021). What’s wrong with us? An analysis of Indonesian president joko widodo’s public speeches from 2017 to 2018. JAS (Journal of ASEAN Studies), 9(2). https://doi.org/10.21512/jas.v9i2.7318
Valdez, M. A., & Dhani, R. (2021). Celebrity endorsers in government communication: A plausible option amidst uncertainty and declining public trust. Jurnal Komunikasi Ikatan Sarjana Komunikasi Indonesia, 6(2), 242-255. https://doi.org/10.25008/jkiski.v6i2.598
Van Vleet, J.E. (Ed.) (2011). Informal logical fallacies: A brief guide. University Press of America.
Wakik, A. K. (2023, January 11). RR: Megawati sedang mengingatkan Jokowi petugas partai [RR: Megawati is reminding Jokowi of party officer]. Retrieved from https://politik.rmol.id/read/2023/01/11/560058/rr-megawati-sedang-mengingatkan-jokowi-petugas-partai
Yanwardhana, E. (2023, January 10). Megawati: Pak Jokowi itu kalau nggak ada PDIP kasihan dah [Pak Jokowi without PDI-P that would be a pity]. Retrieved from https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/news/20230110121254-4-404266/megawati-pak-jokowi-itu-kalau-nggak-ada-pdip-kasihan-dah
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25008/wartaiski.v6i1.223
Article Metrics:
Abstract Views - 690
PDF Downloads - 432
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2023 Ari Santoso Widodo, Rendro Dani
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Indexed by:
Copyright of Jurnal Warta Ikatan Sarjana Komunikasi Indonesia (p-ISSN : 0853-4470)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Sekretariat Redaksi JURNAL WARTA Ikatan Sarjana Komunikasi Indonesia (ISKI)
Gedung Dewan Pers, Lt 5
Jl. Kebon Sirih No. 32-34, Jakarta 10110 – Indonesia
Contact Person :