Corruption Threatens Democracy

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JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Corruption threatens the people\'s trust in democratic institutions. If it is left unchecked, the condition could trigger resistance to democracy.

Corruption stemming from the interests of the political elite that have undermined public aspirations and interests can ultimately damage the public trust in state institutions, widen the social gap and caused increased polarization.

This condition could then reduce civic participation and lead to the emergence of extreme populism. Several national surveys have indicated a loss of public trust in state institutions. The Kompas R&D survey held on Dec. 5-6 showed that only 46.13 percent of respondents believed that legislative institutions like the House of Representatives (DPR), Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and Regional Legislative Councils (DPRD) upheld the public interest. Meanwhile, public trust in political parties and party leaders was 41.33 percent.

The 2017 edition of The Global State of Democracy, published by International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), lists corruption and “policy piracy” as factors that lead to a decline in public trust in politicians. This will ultimately have a negative impact on civic participation in politics. The loss of public trust in politicians is acute among the youth. The civil liberties value is lower than the national average in two of the three provinces (East Java, West Java and North Sumatra) with the highest number of corruption cases investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

According to IDEA’s 2017 democracy index, the civil liberties value in East Java is 60.98, 62.29 in North Sumatra and 71.02 in West Java. Meanwhile, the national average for civil liberties is 66.63. Civil liberties include a number of indicators, including the right to vote in elections and the freedom to petition the government.

Inhibiting society

Digital Youth Group founder Resa Temaputra said on Monday when contacted from Jakarta that corruption had made some youths doubt or feel fed up with the political system because they considered it to be unclean. "Corruption is seen as a hindrance to public progress, providing unequal services. There is no transparency in the system," Resa said.

Some of the KPK’s corruption cases revealed that investor interests had quashed public aspirations. This can be seen in the mass corruption involving DPRD members in Malang municipality and in North Sumatra province. Regional budget (APBD) deliberations often involve kickbacks, some of which comes from private parties with vested interests.

The KPK has also disclosed several cases of bribery among judicial institutions in connection with court cases.

Political researcher Panji Anugrah at the University of Indonesia said that corruption threated the democratic system because it undermined the legitimacy of the executive, legislative and the judicial branches of government, as well as electoral institutions. This occurred because corruption caused the public to question the policies of these state institutions.

In the long run, corruption could also disrupt the economic system. Corruption robs the state of its funds, so it cannot distribute public resources equally. In turn, inequality and political polarization will widen in the public sphere. Under such a condition, Panji said, opportunities would increase for populist figures to emerge that offered opposition to the elite.

"Populism can unite the left and right, offering alternative ideas that are not programmatic or impulsive. Populist leaders can exploit the lack of public trust in the system and in the elite," he said.

Opportunity for improvement

To prevent further threat to the foundations of democracy, major changes that involved many parties were needed. Veri Junaidi from the Constitution and Democracy Initiative believed that the 2019 elections could be an occasion for the public to be careful in electing their representatives in the legislature.

The results of the Kompas R&D survey also indicated that there is still a chance for civic participation in the 2019 elections. Although the public distrusts the legislature and political parties, 90 percent of respondents still intended to participate in the elections.

Malang Civil Society Forum coordinator Lutfhi J. Kurniawan said that corruption cases like those that involved Malang’s political elites could be used as an example to remind the political elite to desist from corruption.

At the same time, transparency must be increased to protect democracy from corruption. Wawan Suyatmiko, the research manager of Transparency International Indonesia, pointed out that corruption generally “grew in the dark”, so public supervision and openness was critical to its prevention. (REK/NTA/INA/ITA/HRS/NCA/WSI/WER/GAL/IAN)

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