Corruption and law in Indonesia

"Post-Soeharto Indonesia is now at a critical juncture. Many defining characteristics of the 33 years of Soeharto's authoritarian rule have been discarded. Indonesia has transformed from one of Southeast Asia's most repressive and centralised political systems to its most decentralised and democratic. Its judiciary is has been made largely independent of government; economic development is solid; and its Constitution now boasts a world-standard Bill of Rights. Yet obstacles remain to Indonesia achieving the "rule of law". In particular, Indonesia is consistently rated as having some of the highest levels of corruption in the world, often attributed to the continuing influence of Soeharto-era powerbrokers and their prot©♭g©♭s. Pervasive corruption is said to hamper economic growth and prevent governance reforms aimed at improving transparency and accountability, leading some commentators to question the "quality" of Indonesian democracy and, ultimately, the longevity of post-Soeharto reform. The focus of this book is to highlight the "pushback", led by powerful entrenched political interests, against the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) and the Anti-Corruption Court, through legal process. The book shows that the KPK has been the target of systematic efforts aimed at undermining its success in corruption cases and, ultimately, bringing it down"-- "Indonesia has transformed from one of South East Asia's most repressive and centralised political systems to its most decentralised and democratic. Despite this, obstacles still remain that hinder Indonesia achieving the 'rule of law', and in particular, the country is consistently ranked as having one of the highest levels of corruption in the world. This book assesses Indonesia's anti-corruption reforms over the past decade, focusing on the Anti-corruption Commission (KPK) and the Anti-corruption Court (ACC). The book discusses how both institutions have been largely successful since they began operating on 2004. Before 2008, the KPK and ACC largely focused on mid-senior level targets and faced resistance primarily in the form of constitutional challenges to their jurisdictions and powers. From 2008, however, the KPK began targeting politically-powerful figures, drawing resistance that now threatens the future efficacy of both institutions. It is largely in Indonesia's courtrooms and lawmaking institutions that key battles between reformists and those preferring the status quo have played out. This book describes and analyses these judicial processes and legal changes. It shows that despite persistent claims that Indonesia's legal system is dysfunctional, law is far from irrelevant in modern day Indonesia. The book is a useful contribution to South East Asian politics and Asian law"--