LE3 .A278 2011

2011

Thomson, Tony

Acadia University

Bachelor of Arts

Honours

Sociology

Sociology

The nature of official corruption in Indonesia is viewed by many as being systemic. It is also a topic that remains in the minds of the country‟s population since the fall of the Soeharto regime. The rallying cry demanding the end to „Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism‟ was echoed throughout the country at the advent of the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997. The population had had enough of the immoral and incessant acts committed by those in power. Witnessing the action of corruption first hand, I use the method of autoethnography to explore my own experience and feelings at the time of the incident, gaining insight into the deviant nature of corruption. By using a historical and theoretical framework and the method of autoethnography to explore the history of corruption, I argue that the actions of those in power that seem corrupt through our frame of reference are actually actions that are customs and can be seen as normal in their cultural context. While our own legal rational method of authority is at odds with the traditional method of patrimonial authority, the implementation of our rule of law is being inserted into Indonesian society. This move towards a more democratic rule of law conflicts with the power structure that has procured large profits, making it difficult to make way for change.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:819