Abstract
On September 24, 2019, thousands of Indonesians mobilized in the streets of major urban areas in disagreement with the reforms directed at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Indonesia’s only reliably independent law enforcement agency (Power & Warburton, 2020, p.9) Although experiencing severe signs of polarization, civil society presented itself as unified for one common goal. However, such efforts were not enough to “save the KPK”, as the country’s political arena is deeply embedded with the presence of elite pressure groups and middle-class-reformers whose interests influenced the outcome of the conflict. The case of Indonesia falls into a broader trend of democratic backslide being experienced by dozens of countries around the globe, which has inspired a new generation of studies on autocratization. This thesis aims to further contribute to this field of research by focusing on the role of civil society in resisting autocratization. The case study is approached with two questions: How is the weakening of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) linked to autocratization in Indonesia? And What is the role of civil society in resisting the weakening of the KPK and autocratization in Indonesia? Theories on autocratization and civil society are explored, with direct attention to accountability mechanisms. The weakening of the KPK is approached as a case of weakened horizontal accountability while the inability of civil society to resist its weakening is addressed as a case of weakened diagonal accountability. Hence, the case study makes use of the weakening of accountability mechanisms as an explanation for autocratization in Indonesia.