Indonesia under threat: The danger of corruption to political legitimacy

Abstract

The association between corruption and poverty, inequality, economic development and resource distribution has been investigated widely in the Indonesian context. However, the impact of corruption on political legitimacy is still understudied, particularly for post-Soeharto Indonesia. Hence, we are left with many puzzles and a baffling picture of political legitimacy. This research corrects this picture and aims to ascertain two interrelated questions: (a) how and in what way does corruption erode political legitimacy? and (b) what evidence suggests that corruption deteriorates legitimacy? A qualitative and a quantitative research method are deployed to address these questions. The quantitative analysis demonstrates that corruption is statistically significant in predicting political legitimacy, suggesting that corruption erodes citizens’ trust in the rule of law, democracy, political actors and institutions. The qualitative model reinforces the quantitative results that corruption undermines the rule of law, hijacks democracy and erodes people’s trust in political actors and institutions.