Power and Stakeholders in IKN Nusantara: Land Use and Environmental Protection Discourse in Indonesia’s New Capital

Abstract

This research examine how the pro-government and counter-discourse on land use and environmental protection in IKN Nusantara reflect stakeholders’ power, legitimacy, and urgency. To do this, around 36 selected documents, including policy documents, corporate press releases, government website articles, NGO reports, and media articles from 2019-2024, are used to analyze land use and environmental protection in IKN Nusantara. The method used is a Critical Discourse Analysis; then, the findings are explained using the Theory of Stakeholder Identification and Salience to explore which stakeholders are prioritized and excluded based on their power, legitimacy, and urgency. The findings show that these attributes are shaped by how public discourse represents and recognizes stakeholders. As a pro government discourse, the government and investor maintain their visibility and influence by framing their roles as appropriate, necessary, and urgent. Meanwhile, marginalized communities, as a counter-discourse, despite having urgent concerns based on ethical issues such as land rights and environmental protection, remain excluded because their discourse is not institutionally recognized, and they lack power. This master thesis concludes that stakeholder salience in IKN Nusantara is a product of discursive and political dynamics, and discourse plays a role in including certain stakeholders while excluding others.