%D 2026
%P 177-202
%V 11
%A Mukhlish Mukhlish Muhammad Maududi
%J INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication)
%L repository50138
%T Contestation Of Public Discourse On The New Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) In The Digital Public Sphere
%I Fakultas Dakwah UIN Salatiga
%X The enactment of Indonesia’s new Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) has generated  widespread  controversy  in  the  digital  public  sphere,  as  reflected  in polarized public sentiment and discursive contestation between the state and civil society. This study aims to examine how public sentiment is formed, circulated, and contested within the digital discourse surrounding the new KUHAP and its implications  for  the  construction  of  legal  legitimacy.  Employing  a  qualitative descriptive approach, this study integrates social media–based sentiment analysis with  critical  discourse  analysis.  The  data  were  derived  from  visualized  public sentiment   analytics   produced   by   the   DroneEmprit   social   media   analytics platform. The findings reveal a predominance of negative and criticalsentiments in the digital public sphere, centered on concerns regarding the potential erosion of human rights protections, expansion of law enforcement authority, and limited public  participation  in  the  legislative  process.  In  contrast,  state  narratives emphasize  legal  certainty,  law  enforcement  efficiency,  and  stability  of  the criminal  justice  system.  The  interaction  between  these  competing  narratives constitutes  an  arena  of  discursive  contestation  that  exposes  the  polarization  of legal legitimacy  betweenstate-centered  procedural legitimacy  and  participatory legitimacy advocated by civil society. This study concludes that the digital public sphere functions as a strategic arena for negotiating legal legitimacy, in which the controversy  over  the  new  KUHAP reflects  structural  tensions  between  state authority and democratic demand.
%N 1