[ABSTRAK Penelitian ini merupakan studi tentang komunikasi politik pencitraan kandidat dalamPemilukada DKI Jakarta 2012, khususnya yang difokuskan pada pencitraan Jokowi.Kemenangan Jokowi dalam Pemilukada DKI Jakarta 2012 sangat fenomenal –Jokowi adalahkandidat yang berasal dari luar Jakarta mampu mengalahkan kandidat petahana (incumbent).Pencalonan Jokowi menjadi cermin bahwa Partai PDI Perjuangan sebagai partai yangberorientasi pasar dan konsultan (consultant-and-market oriented party) –atau disebut jugadengan istilah professionalized party. Keunggulan skor Jokowi dalam hasil Survei OpinionLeader (Cyrus Network & Laboratorium Psikologi Politik UI) menjadi rujukan utamakebijakan Partai PDI Perjuangan dalam mencalonkan Jokowi sebagai Calon Gubernur DKIJakarta pada Pemilukada 2012. Jokowi adalah kandidat pilihan pasar (market-choicecandidate). Jokowi adalah kandidat ideal yang diyakini memiliki kompetensi kepemimpinanuntuk memimpin Jakarta. Cyrus Network, sebuah lembaga konsultan politik, bersamaLaboratorium Psikologi Politik UI telah menjadi promotor atau endorser pencalonan Jokowi.Profesi sebagai promotor atau endorser kandidat ideal telah menjadikan Cyrus Networkmenjadi penciptra tradisi baru dalam dunia konsultansi politik di Indonesia dan dunia –selama ini belum ada publikasi hasil penelitian yang menyatakan ada sebuah lembagakonsultan politik menjadi promotor kandidat. Cyrus Network mendobrak tradisi lama dalamdunia konsultasi politik dimana keterlibatan konsultan politik dalam pemilu didorong olehsemangat bisnis (market-driven consultant). Dukungan Cyrus Network terhadap Jokowidilandasi oleh semangat idealisme (idealism driven consultant).Dalam riset-riset terdahulu dinyatakan bahwa konsultan politik sangat dominan dalammencitrakan kandidat sehingga konsultan politik disemati dengan beragam profesi sepertisebagai image merchants (Heibert, et al, 1971), arsitek kampanye dan ahli komunikasi politik(Napolitan, 1972), professional image makers (Nimmo, 1976), issue primers (Medvic, 1997),candidate marketers (Dulio, 2000), dan konsultan citra (image consultant) (Perloff, 2010).Untuk kasus kampanye citra (image-making campaign) Jokowi, konsultan politik tidakdemikian. Jokowi sangat dominan dalam kampanye citranya, sehingga konsultan politik tidaksama sekali memodifikasi citra politik Jokowi, tidak seperti Fauzi-Nara –di putaran kedua,konsultan politiknya melakukan perubahan citra politik Fauzi misalnya dari gaya komunikasiarogan menjadi santun. Komunikasi politik pencitraan Jokowi menggunakan pendekatanalamian (natural approach). Jokowi adalah kandidat yang memiliki citra otentik (authenticimage). Jokowi adalah seorang kandidat yang memiliki kecerdasan dalam marketing politik,public relations politik, manajemen isu politik, manajemen kesan politik, dan estetikakomunikasi politik. Produk-produk politik seperti baju kotak-kotak, salam metal, kampanyeblusukan, dll merupakan murni gagasan Jokowi sendiri, bukan konsultan politik. Ini semakinmenegaskan bahwa masa kampanye adalah masa penguatan citra politik bukan penciptaancitra politik kandidat. Ini artinya bahwa selain terkait dengan kualitas personalitas, citrapolitik kandidat tidak terlepas pada persoalan rekam jejak politik masa lalu kandidat –kampanye permanen menjadi kunci pencitraan kandidat petahan. Kasus Jokowi semakinmenegaskan bahwa di era personalisasi politik, citra politik kandidat harus otentik bukankemasan. Di era personalisasi dan mediatisasi politik elektoral, otentisitas adalah kunciefektivitas komunikasi politik pencitraan kandidat. Inilah yang penulis sebut dengan istilahUniversitas Indonesiaauthentic candidate theory. Konsultan politik hanya mengkomunikasikan otentisitas citrakandidat. Dalam era personalisasi politik elektoral, konsultan politik hanya sebagai manajerkampanye (campaign manager) dan penguat citra politik (political image reinforcer).Temuan disertasi ini menjadi kritik terhadap deliberative priming theory (Medvic, 1997)dimana sebagai primer atau issue chooser, konsultan politik merekayasa citra kandidatmelalui pemilihan isu politik. Selain itu juga, temuan riset ini menjadi kritik atas temuan daripenelitian De Landtsheer, De Vries, dan Verstessen (2008:225) tentang penampilan politikyang pantas (the appearance of political suitability) dalam manajemen kesan politik (politicalimpression management). Citra politik kandidat sangat bergantung pada kepantasan politikdan ini terletak pada penampilan fisik kandidat. Oleh karennya, kandidat memungkinkanuntuk memanipulasi atau merekayasa penampilan fisiknya seperti yang diinginkan(politically desirable).; ABSTRACT The research is a part of study of political communication that explains the imagemakingof candidate in 2012 Jakarta Gubernatorial Elections, especially Jokowi. Jokowi’selectoral triumph in 2012 Jakarta Gubernatorial Election is the most phenomenal –he is acandidate from outside Jakarta who have been defeated the powerful incumbent candidatesFauzi-Nara. Jokowi’s candidacy represents that Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle(PDI Perjuangan) is as a consultant-centered and-market-oriented party –in the other words,it is a professionalized party. Excellence of Jokowi’s grade in Opinion Leader Surveyfindings (issued by Cyrus Network a political consultant firm, and Political PsychologyLaboratory of University of Indonesia) become as a main source of PDI-P’s policy innominating Jokowi as a gubernatorial candidate in 2012 Jakarta direct local elections. Jokowiis a market-choice candidate. Jokowi is an ideal candidate who is believable to have the highcompetence of leadership to lead the Jakarta province. The Cyrus Network and the PoliticalPsychology Laboratory of UI were political promoters or endorsers for Jokowi’s candidacy.The profession made them as the makers of new tradition in the world of politicalconsultancy in Indonesia and the world wide –there is no publication of research of politicalconsultants in all the time that describes the political consultants as the candidate promotersor endorsers. The Cyrus Network have broken the old tradition of political consultancy whereinvolvement of the consultants in elections were driven by the spirit of business –in the otherword, they are the market-driven consultants. Cyrus Network’s endorsement for Jokowi’scandidacy was based by the spirit of political idealism –in the other words, it is an idealismdrivenconsultant.According the previous research of political consulting, the political consultants werethe most dominant in making candidates’ image. Therefore, political consultants’ professionwere as image merchants (Heibert, et al, 1971), campaign architects and experts of politicalcommunication (Napolitan, 1972), professional image makers (Nimmo, 1976), issue primers(Medvic, 1997), candidate marketers (Dulio, 2000) and image consultant (Perloff, 2010).However for the case of Jokowi’s image-making campaign, it was different where thepolitical consultant was not dominant in modifying or reengineering. Jokowi’s politicalimage, not as the case of Fauzi-Nara –in the second round of the direct local elections, theirpolitical consultants have been modified or reengineered their image, e.g. the politicalconsultant have modified Fauzi’s political style from arrogant to be polite. In the practice ofpolitical communication of image making, Jokowi had used the natural approach that createdauthentic image –in the other words, Jokowi was an authentic candidate. It was caused byJokowi’s intelligence in political marketing, political public relations, political issuesmanagement, political impression management, and aesthetics of political communication.All of Jokowi’s political products was his brilliant ideas e.g. “iconic” checkered shirt, metalsign or greeting, “blusukan” (impromptu visits) campaign, etc, not the political consultants. Itargues that the campaign is a phase of political image reinforcement, not political imageformation. It explains to us that the politician’s past record is the key of successful ofcandidate’s image formation –especially, the permanent campaign is the key success for theUniversitas Indonesiaincumbents. In personalization era, the main factor of image making is authenticity, notmodifications or packaging as well as engineering. The authenticity is the main factor formaking political communication of candidate image-making more effective. So, the writercalls it as the authentic candidate theory. The political consultants only communicate theauthenticity. In this era, they are just as the campaign manager and political image reinforcersor sharpener. This research’s finding becomes as criticism for the deliberative priming theory(Medvic, 1997) that explained political consultants as issue primers or choosers whosepolitical skill in engineering the candidate’s image through political issue priming. It is alsocriticism for a research that is hold by De Landtsheer, De Vries, & Verstessen (2008). Theirresearch finding explains that the appearance of political suitability in political impressionmanagement is rooted to candidate’s physical appearance. Therefore, it is possible tomanipulate the physical appearance of candidate in a “politically desirable” sense, The research is a part of study of political communication that explains the imagemakingof candidate in 2012 Jakarta Gubernatorial Elections, especially Jokowi. Jokowi’selectoral triumph in 2012 Jakarta Gubernatorial Election is the most phenomenal –he is acandidate from outside Jakarta who have been defeated the powerful incumbent candidatesFauzi-Nara. Jokowi’s candidacy represents that Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle(PDI Perjuangan) is as a consultant-centered and-market-oriented party –in the other words,it is a professionalized party. Excellence of Jokowi’s grade in Opinion Leader Surveyfindings (issued by Cyrus Network a political consultant firm, and Political PsychologyLaboratory of University of Indonesia) become as a main source of PDI-P’s policy innominating Jokowi as a gubernatorial candidate in 2012 Jakarta direct local elections. Jokowiis a market-choice candidate. Jokowi is an ideal candidate who is believable to have the highcompetence of leadership to lead the Jakarta province. The Cyrus Network and the PoliticalPsychology Laboratory of UI were political promoters or endorsers for Jokowi’s candidacy.The profession made them as the makers of new tradition in the world of politicalconsultancy in Indonesia and the world wide –there is no publication of research of politicalconsultants in all the time that describes the political consultants as the candidate promotersor endorsers. The Cyrus Network have broken the old tradition of political consultancy whereinvolvement of the consultants in elections were driven by the spirit of business –in the otherword, they are the market-driven consultants. Cyrus Network’s endorsement for Jokowi’scandidacy was based by the spirit of political idealism –in the other words, it is an idealismdrivenconsultant.According the previous research of political consulting, the political consultants werethe most dominant in making candidates’ image. Therefore, political consultants’ professionwere as image merchants (Heibert, et al, 1971), campaign architects and experts of politicalcommunication (Napolitan, 1972), professional image makers (Nimmo, 1976), issue primers(Medvic, 1997), candidate marketers (Dulio, 2000) and image consultant (Perloff, 2010).However for the case of Jokowi’s image-making campaign, it was different where thepolitical consultant was not dominant in modifying or reengineering. Jokowi’s politicalimage, not as the case of Fauzi-Nara –in the second round of the direct local elections, theirpolitical consultants have been modified or reengineered their image, e.g. the politicalconsultant have modified Fauzi’s political style from arrogant to be polite. In the practice ofpolitical communication of image making, Jokowi had used the natural approach that createdauthentic image –in the other words, Jokowi was an authentic candidate. It was caused byJokowi’s intelligence in political marketing, political public relations, political issuesmanagement, political impression management, and aesthetics of political communication.All of Jokowi’s political products was his brilliant ideas e.g. “iconic” checkered shirt, metalsign or greeting, “blusukan” (impromptu visits) campaign, etc, not the political consultants. Itargues that the campaign is a phase of political image reinforcement, not political imageformation. It explains to us that the politician’s past record is the key of successful ofcandidate’s image formation –especially, the permanent campaign is the key success for theUniversitas Indonesiaincumbents. In personalization era, the main factor of image making is authenticity, notmodifications or packaging as well as engineering. The authenticity is the main factor formaking political communication of candidate image-making more effective. So, the writercalls it as the authentic candidate theory. The political consultants only communicate theauthenticity. In this era, they are just as the campaign manager and political image reinforcersor sharpener. This research’s finding becomes as criticism for the deliberative priming theory(Medvic, 1997) that explained political consultants as issue primers or choosers whosepolitical skill in engineering the candidate’s image through political issue priming. It is alsocriticism for a research that is hold by De Landtsheer, De Vries, & Verstessen (2008). Theirresearch finding explains that the appearance of political suitability in political impressionmanagement is rooted to candidate’s physical appearance. Therefore, it is possible tomanipulate the physical appearance of candidate in a “politically desirable” sense] |