Retorika Politik Lingkungan dalam Kebijakan Ruang Terbuka Hijau Kota Medan: Analisis Kritis terhadap Narasi Pemerintah dan Realitas Ekologis

Yosia R.E Sianturi; Christina Natalia T.; Ezra Dwi A. Saragih; Tri Wahyuni br Tambunan; Zahirah Nazwa; M. Oky Fardian Gafari

doi:10.59061/dinamikapublik.v4i3.1454

Authors

Yosia R.E Sianturi Universitas Negeri Medan
Christina Natalia T. Universitas Negeri Medan
Ezra Dwi A. Saragih Universitas Negeri Medan
Tri Wahyuni br Tambunan Universitas Negeri Medan
Zahirah Nazwa Universitas Negeri Medan
M. Oky Fardian Gafari Universitas Negeri Medan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59061/dinamikapublik.v4i3.1454

Keywords:

Critical Discourse Analysis, Environmental Political Rhetoric, Euphemism, Green Open Space, Linguistic Greenwashing

Abstract

This study examines environmental political rhetoric in the policy discourse on Green Open Spaces (Ruang Terbuka Hijau/RTH) in Medan City using a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach. Three main aspects are analyzed, namely the use of euphemisms, the construction of abstract political metaphors, and instructive-solution-oriented language in official documents, regional leaders’ speeches, and government social media posts. This study employs a descriptive qualitative method, with primary data consisting of transcripts of the Medan Mayor’s speeches, Instagram content from the Medan City Housing and Spatial Planning Office, and YouTube interview videos with regional leaders; while secondary data consist of RTH policy documents. The results show that the RTH discourse in Medan City is constructed through normative, symbolic, and technocratic communication strategies, in which language is used to soften the gap between policy targets and ecological realities, known as the policy–reality gap. Euphemisms serve to mitigate limitations in implementation, political metaphors construct an idealized imagination of a green city, and instructive-solution-oriented language directs public participation while strengthening policy legitimacy. These findings indicate the presence of linguistic greenwashing practices in the environmental policy communication of the Medan City Government.

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