Read the National Police Statement: From Semiotics Wounds to Hermeneutics Power

Darulmaarif.net – Indramayu, August 1, 2025 | 08.00 WIB

The statement made by the National Police Chief through a written statement after the crowd of Affan’s news was killed after being crushed by Rantis Brimob, never stood in a vacuum. It is not just the arrangement of words born from the lips, but a representation of how the power works through language. As shown in Kompas.com news, the statement can be read not only as an expression of grief, but as a “archive of power”-a record of how words are used to shift meaning, wrap responsibility, even obscure reality.

In an interview quoted from the Kompas.com page, while visiting the RSCM, the National Police Chief was recorded at the camera hugging the Affan family.

“First of all, I gave a deep sadness to Affan who had died and of course to the whole family. Previously we conveyed an apology and apology from our institutions for the disaster that occurred“Said Listyo Sigit.

To the family and Indonesian people, the National Police Chief ensured that the institutions he led would take firm action against the perpetrators who crushed Affan with Rantis.

“And of course We will follow up on the events that occurred. I think Mr. Kadiv Propam had already delivered and I made sure to continue. And of course I also apologize to the entire extended family of ojol and also the upper community Disaster and events that occur“He said.

From the statement of the National Police Chief, let us peel how semiotic and hermeneutics is not neutral, it is present in a space that contains certain ideologies.

Language as a means of power

In semiotics, every word is not neutral, but a sign that carries an ideological content. Phrase like “We are together” It appears inclusive, but actually it can function as a public anesthesia – a structural responsibility is just a collective emotions. Similarly, the term “Disaster” which is used to mention the death of political violence, subtly shifts the meaning of the territory of political responsibility to the territory of spiritual destiny. In other words, the language in the statement works like fog: covering the structure of the power with an emotional rhetoric layer.

Hermeneutics Power: Read the interpretation behind the text

Hermeneutics philosophy teaches us that the text is never single, it is always open to interpretation. The political statement of the National Police Chief is not only a statement, but an attempt to control public interpretation. In this case, the tragedy is not read as a political consequence or the failure of the state to protect its citizens, but is interpreted as an inevitable “event”. Herein lies the power: He tried to regulate the horizon of meaning, shifting the interpretation from the political arena to the spiritual space. That way, public criticism that demands accountability can be muted by the discourse of religiosity.

Wound covered with rhetoric

Language philosophy, as stated by Michel Foucault, emphasized that each discourse is a product of power relations. Social injuries due to violence or political tragedy are often not discussed as political injuries, but are coated with sad language and prayers to look neutral. The wound is still there, but wrapped in such a way that it is no longer a lawsuit, but just a bitter memory that must be accepted. Language, in this case, functions as an instrument of power to discipline the emotions of the people.

From politics to spirituality

The shift in the meaning of the tragedy from politics to spiritual is a classic strategy in the discourse of power. By framing events as Disaster or wisdomThe government and the authorities can avoid critical questions about structural responsibilities. This is where we see how language can be a double weapon: soothe the public on the one hand, but at the same time whiten traces of power on the other.

Dismantle the rhetoric, open the wound

Reading the statement of the Chairman of the National Police Chief with semiotic and hermeneutics glasses made us aware that language was never neutral. He is always full of interests, always directed to regulate interpretation. Philosophy helps us reveal this veil: that behind the words of grief, there is a power operation that tries to shift the meaning of political That spiritualfrom responsibility That Disasterfrom People’s lawsuit That fog rhetoric.

So, if we want to really respect the wounds of the people, we are not enough to just say prayers on the podium. What’s more important is to make language not an anesthesia, but as a bridge to justice.

Hope it is useful. Wallohu a’lam.