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ore political parties and politicians may not be a popular priority, but our parties are in limbo, with our smiling President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo perhaps eagerly seeking new parties to cross over to his coalition.

Jokowi could use many more friends and a new potential one is the Golkar Party under Agung Laksono, the camp recognized by part of the party'€™s committee tasked to resolve the party'€™s leadership dispute. Despite the committee chairman'€™s ruling announced Tuesday, the two other committee members said any settlement should wait for a Supreme Court ruling on the petition of the rival camp under Aburizal Bakrie.

As the leadership conflict in the United Development Party (PPP) is also hinging on a Supreme Court ruling, only the medium-size National Mandate Party (PAN) has peacefully changed guard.

These squabbles impress nobody, worsening already low confidence in graft-tainted political parties. Yet we need many more and better politicians to improve and establish new parties if necessary, so we can move further away from the remnants of the New Order.

Political parties are still the only institutions with systematic mechanisms to change people'€™s aspirations into policies. Democracy following the end of Soeharto'€™s almost life-long presidency brought back the idealism and vigor of the 1950s, with the emergence of new political parties. The new parties and new politicians, however, led to increasing disillusion as they seemed to improve and intensify corrupt practices to reach and stay in power.

But today'€™s embattled leaders face the consequence of people shying away from politics. As experienced all too soon by President Jokowi and Jakarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama, their popularity is not enough to push through policies. Jokowi has even gone too far in his political '€œcalculations'€, as he said '€” leading to the continued attacks on the antigraft fighters.

Sure, people power is fun and necessary. A '€œTrojan Horse'€ entered the compound of the embattled Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Wednesday, bearing images of the President and its acting chairman Taufiequrachman Ruki. The performance followed Tuesday'€™s rally led by the KPK employee union, protesting the KPK leaders'€™ decision to hand over the graft case of former National Police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan to the attorney general.

Sunday'€™s Car Free Day featured people in masks depicting Ahok as they conveyed support for the Jakarta governor, alone without links to political parties as the city'€™s legislative council subjects him to an investigation regarding the city budget.

However, after a few weeks such protests on the streets and in cyberspace are often weighed down by frustration. Popular movements are vital to whip up political awareness and push for change, given the penchant of current political parties to show off force, which has held up national and local progress.

But we need more politicians with credibility across different parties, and the leaders who feel they have few friends could also set up new parties. People power should help fuel the energy of citizens to improve or set up better parties. Creativity is not only needed on the streets.