Political corruption is reaching alarming new levels, depriving people of better social welfare and jeopardizing the country’s democracy, graft watchdogs say. Senior Transparency International Indonesia (TII) researcher Franky Simanjuntak told The Jakarta Post that based on TII surveys conducted in many regions over the past three years, most politicians and political parties had been acting as rent seekers in the executive and legislative bodies. This has led to costly political campaigns and increasing party expenditures for legislative elections and local polls. “Legislators and councilors at provincial and regency legislatures have no other choice but to abuse their power to seek funds to pay for their campaigns to win their legislative seats and to help finance their parties’ activities. Party elites in the Cabinet have apparently sold top echelon positions and gain from polic...