Obama’s Utterances and His Politeness Strategy

2. Obama’s Utterances and His Politeness Strategy

Everybody has negative and positive face in a verbal interaction. They put their face at stake when communicating. Through conversation, they can maintain and enhance their face. Their face can be threatened too. Even, they can lose their face. So, some strategies are needed. Obama as the President of United States of America is very powerful. His power rank is higher than the people of US and Indonesia. His visit to other countries was awaited, including to Indonesia. When postponing his visit to Indonesia, Obama was interviewed by Indonesian journalist named Nababan. Through this interesting interview, Obama put his face at stake. “Baik-baik, terima kasih” “Masih bisa sedikit, sudah lupa banyak tapi” p. 67 These two responses were given by Obama when Nababan asked him using Bahasa Indonesia. Obama had a chance to reply it using English, but he preferred to answer the question in the same language used. There was no FTA here, but Obama applied the strategy of in-group identity marker which is positive politeness strategy. Obama wanted to be closer to Nababan as the Indonesian. Next, Nababan asked him about his favourite sentence in Indonesian Language. When giving bad news, that he had none of Indonesian favorite sentence, he said: “I mean, the truth is i have so many good memories of Indonesia and it is such a special place to keep in my mind. My sister is half-indonesian, you know many brothers of my step father have come to visit here in US, so i really enjoy maintaining that connection .” p. 68 Obama replied in off-record strategy. He did n’t say that he had no Indonesian favourite sentence. He avoided answering that in direct way. Rather, he praised Indonesia. He wa s happy to be related to the Nababan’s country. Obama showed positive politeness strategy by using the fiftenth strategy: giving sympathy to hearer. Obama applied multiple strategies in giving another bad news to the Indonesian journalist. In telling his postpone of visit to Indonesia, Obama explained it in a very long and detailed utterance. He said: “You know…We just contacted the Indonesian government because we are in the middle of huge health care debate in US, and it is about come to vote, we have been debating this for years, many those votes were delayed,...i think it makes more senses to me to delay the trip until summer, until sometime in June …buying some bakso, some sate….but i wanna reassure all the people of Indonesia that it is something i am very much looking for to...When i move to Indonesia, it was in 1967 …My understanding is growing everywhere and it represents the increidible progress has been made not only economically but also in Indonesia being a model of democracy, such a populous nation, a diverse nation have been able to bring together democratic forces and Indonesia gonna be power house internationally. I got to know your President and i think he is a fine leader. ” p. 69 Obama gave reason to Nababan why the visit has officially delayed. Then, Obama intensified interest to Nababan by the phrase “you know”. He made some jokes when talking about Bakso, Sate, Becak and Sarinah, and at the same time using in-group identity mark er. He exaggerated his utterance by saying “increidible progress”. Obama gave his understanding and sympathy to Indonesia by praising the President Yudhoyono and the work they both have done together. Obama realized that his postpone is truly a bad news, therefore, he used many strategies to show positive politeness. The bad news related not only the government and Indonesian mass media who will get an interesting news if not delayed, but it also related to the students of SD Menteng. “Please let them know, i gonna let them know through you, i dont want to dissapoint any body. The only reason that we delay, we decided to delay, is because the most important domestic priority were in the US is going to be voted on this weekend or early next week and i have to be here. Unfortunately, i dont have control over the legislature schedule, i am not the prime minister who can call....anytime i want. Conggress to decide, but i have to be here when they make that vote.” p. 71 Obama ordered Nababan to inform them that he did n’t want to dissapoint anybody by this delayed visit. In performing this FTA, request, Obama used the what-so called mitigating device. George Yule proposed this term. Obama used bald-on record strategy and using “please”. Obama also told Nababan to inform them the reason of postpone. By giving the reason, Obama performed positive politeness strategy. It was an interview, so there were many questions from Nababan. But, regarding sensitive information, it is an ordinary technique in the politics to respond in off-record way. Obama asked by Nababan about the military assistance that may be would be included in comprehensive partnership between Indonesia and the USA. “It is comprehensive, so, in my conversation with President Yudhoyono and our team we want to create comprehensive partnership that include political and security issues, include economic and technological issues, …obviously indonesia is a major force in southeast asia....still on the floor then interrupted by nababan …The assurance of military assistance? Obviously, there has been some controversies in terms of military assistance in the past, but since the advant of democracy in Indonesia that we’ve seen, the TNI made significance progress separating itself from the police, focusing more on broad external security issues as both as internal security issues and so we both began more interaction and i hope it is we can continue to and advance...... ” p. 71-72 Obama, although interrupted for a moment by Nababan, answered the question of military assistance by off-record strategy. It was political stuff and it was sensitive. Obama did n’t want to talk about this case. It can also be interpreted that Obama w on’t tell him about this. It is a kind of FTA because if Obama answered by negation, it could give a bad news. If Obama did n’t answer, it was a non- cooperation activity. Here, Obama also employed another strategy. He gave sympathy to Indonesia by attributing the country as a major force in South East Asia. Obama wanted to be closer to Nababan. He used this strategy as social accelerator. Nababan continued the interview by asking the satisfaction of Obama in Indonesian military reform and in the resolution of past human right abuses. Obama answered: “Well, i think we have to acknowledge those past human right abuses existence and so we can go forward without looking back out some...and understanding that enormous problem, not just for America but also for Indonesian people. We have seen significance progress and so what we wanna do is to continue, improve our consultation and through this force into more positive direction because we want Indonesia being a close partner for many years to come, and we want a prosperous and secure Indonesia and that is the interest of US as well as the interest of Indonesia and the entire Asia-P asific community”p. 72-73 Obama did n’t tell Nababan explicitly what his opinion was. Obama performed FTA if he said that he dissatisfied. It meant, Obama gave a bad news. If Obama remained silent, it would mean that he was non-cooperative. Obama just gave acknowldgment. He was giving his sympathy, and not responding in a direct way to the Nababan’s question. He thought that Indonesia has significance progress, but, in what matter? Obama never explained it in detail in this interview. Here, although implied what he felt on the reform and the resolution, Obama showed his sympathy. Nababan gave another political question to Obama. It was about terrorism and the Muslim world. Nababan also claimed that, in Obama’s view, terrorism was caused by poverty and injustice. Obama responded: “Well, i think there is combination of things, i think that there are a lot of countries that have poverty but don ’t have terrorism. There is no doubt that if you have a lot of young people, particularly young man who are unemployed they are more vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist organization, but i also think that there are ideological roots to terrorism where people distorded islam and one of the things that i always valued so much about Indonesia when i was growing up was people with devoted muslim, but they also tolerant to other cultures and i think that’s the future of Islam that is being able to modernize, become wealthier, become succesful. ” p. 74 Through this statement, Obama disagreed with Nababan’s claim that poverty and injustice were the cause of terrorism. Obama disapproved this. It was not his opinion. This was a kind of FTA. Here, Obama gave the reason and the sympathy to the Nababan’s country. Obama employed the positive politeness strategy. In another chance, Obama gave sympathy to Indonesia through Nababan and made jokes, although there was no FTA performed by him. He showed his positive politeness through this strategy. “You know that experience was so important to me in so many ways, obviously just my interaction with the Indonesian people just have great love and affection for the indonesian people. I think that they are hard- working, they are love the family and communities and they are very calm which i think help me now in a very tense job …Indonesia is such a big country and such a diverse country with so many different people and it reminded me that we have to have a broad view of the world and recognize in a connected world and that’s very important. So i really looking for to getting back and really looking for to letting my children see what a wonderful country Indonesia is.” p. 75-76 “Bakso i love, Nasi Goreng i love, you know i like street food, i like the street matters, i still remember the sound of people as they walked by “Sate”, “Bakso” p. 76 Obama praised the character of Indonesian and he thought that it was something helped him in his presidency duties. Obama joked and laughed when he said “Sate” and “Bakso”. Before the end of conversation, Obama asked Nababan to tell his childhood friend that he apologized for his mistake. Obama performed FTA, order, by bald-on record strategy, and using mitigating device, “please”. “Please tell him that i apologize for that, i felt so bad, i remember, feeling terrible.” p. 78 In the end of conversation, Obama used in-group identity marker before Nababan left the White House. “Terima kasih banyak, selamat jalan ” p. 78 Obama ended this interview by showing positive politeness strategy.

3. Power Difference and The Choice of Strategy