ABSTRACT

This paper analyze the discourse within a news entitled Lautan Buruh Berdemo, 17 Ribu
Personel Gabungan Dikerahkan which published by CNN Indonesia on October 29th 2015. This
paper aims to analyze the power and knowledge within news especially on the news mentioned.
In addition, the aims also to analyze how power and knowledge influences the mindset of people
in Indonesia. The analysis which used in this paper is Michel Foucaults theory. Actually there
are many theory of Foucaults, but there are three theory which most well-known those are about
discourse, discontinuity, and power and knowledge. The result of the analysis shows that the
dominant and marginalized side is exist in the news mentioned. The government being a
dominant side, and the laborers and college students being a marginalized side.
Keywords : Power, Marginalized, Domination. Discourse

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault was born in Poitiers, France, in 1926. He came from the medical circles.
His father was a surgeon, so does his brother and grandfather. Unlike the Foucault that there
was more interested in the study of philosophy, history, and psychology. However we can see
Foucault's thinking is closely related to the medical field, particularly of psychopathology.
Michel Foucault was one of the leading postmodernism and postructuralism. He was
known as an intellectual who quite productive in doing research and publish it as a book. His
first book entitled Maladie Mentale et Personalitte (Mental illness and personality),
published in 1954 and sold out in the market. After that, he did a research for the dissertation
which was later given the title Folie et deraison. Historie de la folie I'age classique (The
history of Madness in the Classical Period) then published as a book Historie de la Folie
(history of Madness).
The works of Foucault affect thinking and teaching in various fields, such as medicine,
literature, psychology, Criminology, gender studies, theory of postcolonialism, and
multicultural studies. His thoughts are likely to be controversial but give contribution to the
cultural and social theory by shifting the focus of major theories, analysis of class and
economic base to the little things that are marginalized by the paradigm of positivism.
Therefore, Foucault called a "marginal thinkers".
1

Foucault called as marginal thinkers. Foucault also gave great attention on cultural issues.
He then became a Director of The French cultural center in Warsaw (Poland) and Hamburg
(Germany). The works of Foucault is : The Birth of The Clinic, Archeology of Human
Sciences, Disciplines and Punish, as well as trilogy, The History of Sexuality and so on. There
are some core of Foucaults thought those are discourse, discontinuity, power and knowledge
and so on.
1.2 Michel Foucaults Concept
1.2.1 Discourse
Discourse (discours, discourse) was popularized by Foucault and is an important
concept in his thought (Lubis, 2014). Discourse in Foucault's perspective is not as a series
of words or propositions in the text, but rather something that is producing something
else. Therefore, in the analysis of discourse should consider language events by looking
at the language of the two establishments i.e. in terms of meaning and reference. This is
contrary to structuralism that only sees language as a system and the experience. He does
not speak as a language event.
In a discourse there is a statement (proposition) which aims to assert something
(meaning/meanings), but it also says something about something (reference). This is the
reference that expands the dimensions of the meaning of language and socio-cultural
system to affect the human mind. Because of that, then the discourse should be seen in a
single unified whole. Foucault said that while discourses constructed by discursive forms
or episteme (Lubis, 2014).
1.2.2 Discontinuity
Foucault rejects the theory of history that runs continuous and linear "continuous
history", so he filed a concept of discontinuity of history. It is influenced by the analysis of
the genealogy of Friedrich Nietzche. The concept of Foucault is eliminate traditional history
analysis tend to question the strata and events which must be isolated from the other, the kind
of relationship that must bediscontruction as well as the criteria of periodization. This
traditional way of historical analysis as well as the view of the famous method with his
trademark: "the history of great men." While Foucault's analysis was more interested in a
small event or a regular occurrence that is ignored by historians, as done by the researchers
of the history flow LES ANNALES. Finally, can be felt in the history of science, history of

philosophy, literature and history are no longer talking about unity as a period or a century,
but talking about certain fragments (discontinuity).
1.2.3

Power and Knowledge

Power and Knowledge is an interesting concept of Foucault, as Foucault defines

the power is somewhat different with the other experts. Power by Foucault does not mean
"ownership". According to Foucault, power is not owned but practised within a certain
scope in which there are a lot of positions strategically related to one another (Eriyanto,
2001:67).
Foucault is not like other experts who focused on the attention on the power of
the State, in the socio-political structure, the structure of capitalist-proletariat, masterslave relationship, the relationship of the Center-periphery, but

he focused on the

individual or the subject. In addition to this Foucault is also more talks about how power
is exercised, accepted, and seen as the truth and to function in a particular field.
Thinking about the power of Foucault he is influenced by Nietzche. Foucault
called him as a philosopher of power. However, Foucault has distinctiveness that he
always hooking power and knowledge. For Foucault, power is always accumulated
through knowledge, and knowledge always affects power. Foucault's

concept

of

consequence to know that to know the power it takes research on knowledge production
bases of power (Eriyanto, 2001:66). Because each power

compiled and dimapankan

by knowledge and discourse.

What Foucault want to emphasize is how people manage or regulate themselves
and others by creating a claim of truth. Foucault

believes that power does not work

through repression, but through the normalization and regulation. Power

does not work

negatively and repressive, but rather a positive and productive manner.

2. DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Lautan Buruh Berdemo, 17 Ribu Personel Gabungan Dikerahkan

Joko Panji Sasongko, CNN Indonesia
Kamis, 29/10/2015 19:57 WIB

Mabes Polri, dan Kodam Jaya untuk mengawal

massa. Kemudian pengalihan arus lalu lintas

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia -- Polda Metro Jaya

memperkirakan sebanyak puluhan ribu massa
akan melakukan aksi demonstrasi di depan
Istana Negara, Jalan Medan Merdeka, Jakarta
Pusat, Jumat (30/10). Demo tersebut diketahui
dalam rangka menolak Peraturan Pemerintah
Nomor 78 Tahun 2015 tentang Pengupahan.

nantinya bersifat situasional. Jadi demo kami

arahkan agar tidak berhenti di Bundaran Hotel
Indonesia," ujarnya.

Kepala Bidang Humas Polda Metro Jaya

Komisaris Besar Mohammad Iqbal mengatakan
massa yang tergabung dari Buruh dan jajaran
Badan Eksekutif Mahasiswa (BEM) seluruh
Indonesia akan melakukan aksi demonstrasi di
Patung Kuda dan Istana Presiden.
"Besok akan ada massa puluhan ribu yang akan
demo di Patung Kuda, rencananya polisi dan
Tentara Nasional Indonesia akan mengawal aksi
tersebut," ujar Iqbal di Mapolda Metro Jaya,
Jakarta, Rabu (29/10).
Iqbal mengatakan sebanyak belasan ribu
personel gabungan akan dikerahkan untuk
menjaga aksi demo dan kelancaran lalu lintas.
Iqbal menyampaikan pengalihan arus lalu lintas
akan dilakukan secara situasional, mengingat
jumlah pendemo yang diperkirakan mencapai
puluhan ribu.
Lebih lanjut, Iqbal menuturkan, tim gabungan
pengamanan demo telah melakukan pemetaan
terhadap ruas jalan yang akan dilintasi oleh para
pendemo. Rencananya, massa demo akan
dikawal langsung oleh kepolisian untuk
mengantisipasi terjadinya kemacetan lalu lintas.
"Ada 17 ribu personel gabungan dari Polda,

Iqbal menyampaikan pelarangan aksi demo di

Bundaran HI dikeluarkan oleh Kapolda Metro
Jaya Inspektur Jenderal Tito Karnavian. Kapolda
menilai Bundaran HI merupakan obyek vital
yang tidak boleh terganggu oleh aktivitas demo.
Iqbal juga meminta kepada seluruh warga
Jakarta agar menghindari jalan Medan Merdeka
dan sekitarnya pada pukul 09.00 WIB, Jumat
(29/10). Himbauan tersebut dikeluarkan agar
warga tidak terkena dampak dari aksi demo
tersebut.
"Akan terjadi kemacetan karena aksi
demonstrasi besok. Massa akan berada di Patung
Kuda, Monas, dan sekitarnya. Saya himbau
kepada seluruh warga Jakarta agar menghindari
lokasi itu pada pukul 09.00 WIB. Kalaupun
mendadak, usahakan sebelum jam tersebut,"
ujarnya.
Sebelumnya, ribuan buruh dari Jabodetabek dan
mahasiswa berencana melakukan unjuk rasa ke
Jakarta dengan melakukan mogok nasional.
Buruh tersebut akan menyuarakan seputar
penolakan terhadap Peraturan Pemerintah
mengenai pengupahan.
Menurut buruh, penyusunan PP tersebut tidak
melibatkan kalangan buruh. Selain itu,
pertimbangan kenaikan upah yang berdasarkan
inflasi dan pertumbuhan ekonomi dinilai sangat
merugikan buruh. (bag)

In the news which written by CNN Indonesia above, there is dominant side and also those
who are marginalized. In the news entitled Lautan Buruh Berdemo, 17 Ribu Personel Gabungan
Dikerahkan above,

the laborers and college students being a marginalized side and the

government being a dominant side.

Why is that so? In the news only explained that the laborers and college students will
hold a demonstration. And there will be thousand polices and soldiers who control the
demonstration. This news implicitly give the impacts to the reader. The journalist of CNN
Indonesia gives perspective to the readers that the demonstration done by laborers and college
students will always give a negative impact, such as destruction, fighting, disturbance and so on .
Therefore, the polices and the soldiers should be assigned to keep and control the demonstration.
The readers made seems unaware that the demonstration did by laborers and college students
always have a motive and it always has a direction. This news more emphasizes to the process of
demonstration not the motive and the directions of it.
The government being a dominant side because in this news there is no explanation about
the regulation which had made by the government. What is the regulation about? Whether the
regulation already suitable with the laborers want or not? The laborers are forced to obey to the
regulation itself. The readers made unaware that there is unsuitable regulation which made the
laborers and college students did a demonstration. The regulation made the government had a
power. And those power always believed as a truth. In this case, the government also had the
higher knowledge than laborers and college students. Those knowledge made the government
able to make a regulation. The regulation is a power which must be obeyed by the laborers.
The process of discourse marginalization in bringing some implications. First, the readers
is not given the opportunity to get diverse information from various perspective on an event. The
marginalized side does not mean always true. And the dominant side does not mean always
wrong, because not a lot of variety of perspective from a discourse then dimension event is not
complete. Second, it could be a marginalized discourse showing the practice of ideology

3. CONCLUSION
One of the experts of Discourse Analysis is Michel Foucault. One of his theories which
well-known is about power and knowledge. In the news entitled Lautan Buruh Berdemo, 17
Ribu Personel Gabungan Dikerahkan the laborers and college students being a marginalized
side and the government being a dominant side. Power and knowledge always related each other.
In this case, the government had a higher knowledge so that they can make a regulation as a
power. And the laborers and college students had a lower knowledge so that they have to obey to
the power that is a regulation itself.

REFERENCES
Eriyanto. (2001). Analisis Wacana Pengantar Anlisis Teks Media. Yogyakarta:
LkIs.
Lubis, A. Y. (2014). Post Modernisme Teori dan Metode. Jakarta: Rajawali
Press.
Storey, J. (2009). Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. UK: Pearson
Education.