Performative Verbs as Marking of Ideology in Prabowo Subianto’s Speech at the UNGA

Abstract

This study analyzes the use of performative verbs in Prabowo Subianto's speech at the 80th United Nations General Assembly, on September 23rd 2025, that discuss about the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The linguistic mechanisms behind the construction of ideology and diplomatic position in discourse have not been studied much, especially in Indonesian diplomatic discourse about Palestine. This study integrates Speech Act Theory, Theory of Ideology, and intertextuality in the descriptive qualitative design. The data are in the form of speech transcripts that are analyzed through data condensation, data sorting, and conclusion drawing. 12 utterances that contain performative verbs are identified and classified into 4 illocutionary classes: directive (five), commissive (four), assertive (two), and expressive (one), without any declarative act. The ideological analysis uncovered 3 patterns: anti-colonialism and constitutional solidarity on Palestine, bebas dan aktif ideology through moral leadership, collaborative multilateralism, and tension between historical solidarity and multi-alignment pragmatism, which ranges from absolute non-recognition to conditional recognition of Israel. These patterns are strengthened by the intertextual anchor from other textual authorities. These verbs build Indonesia's layered diplomatic position, which is a moral challenger, guardian of the principle, pragmatic peacemaker, and dependable multilateral partner, formed from the institutional legitimacy of the UNGA and the reference of intertextual anchor around it. This finding shows that the performative verb choice in the diplomatic speech functions as an ideological instrument.