Anthropomorphism in Political Cartoon: Case Study of the 1965 Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation

Abstract

This research sets out to examine a political cartoon that focuses on the 1965 Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation or better known as “Ganyang Malaysia.” Created by an anonymous artist, the cartoon represents the late Indonesian President Sukarno as an anthropomorphized “Ayam Jantan” (a rooster) crowing at the hill of the Federation of Malaysia. Using Saussure’s semiotic analysis as research method, we attempt to extract the visual elements and interpret its latent meaning in relation to the issue. The findings suggest that the political cartoon under study possesses a strong metaphor that links to a classic Malay proverb “Bagai ayam sitombong, kokok berderai-derai, ekor bergelimang tahi” (Like a rooster that crows a lot but its tail is smeared with its own droppings) which means a person who likes to boast about himself but could not cater for his family. In relation to this, it is also discovered that the anthropomorphic caricature is not only intended to ridicule the confrontation issue but could also be seen as a protest toward Sukarno’s controversial foreign policy.