Ripple Effect of Weakening Rule of Law: Case Study of Four Regions in Eastern Indonesia

This paper describes the ripple effect condition of weakening rule of law in eastern Indonesia provinces. While affirming Ben Anderson's theory that the state is determined by a central authority, the author's research found that the center of power has limited coverage, especially in a regional autonomy era and on weak rule of law situations. The limited coverage dampers efforts to establish accountable public service and create a "ripple effect" affecting other areas of public governance. Previous research by the author in Papua, Papua Barat, Maluku, and East Nusa Tenggara (including the one funded by TIRI, co-search with Dr Christina Maya lndah) indicated that the main problem of law enforcement in Indonesia is the lack of political will to uphold the rule of law at the national level combined with the weak performance of law enforcement in the regional level and lack of transparency, resulting in the weakening of the national legal system and rule of law at the local level especially in the periphery. Therefore the periphery forms its own power-center, limited only by its own law and its own power game, which in the end proved costly as been proven by the high number of corruption cases. If it is not anticipated earlier, this type of power practice will cast the political legitimacy of the national legal system. In the regions where government spending is the dominant driving force of local economy, the roles of civil society and academia are very important to promote the integrity message.