The political parties (parpol) are drooling at the mouth at the prospect of siphoning off billions of rupiah for their electoral campaigns after a controversial decision by the government to allocate 1.5 trillion rupiah (US$123 million) towards election witness fees (dana saksi) for the April 9 legislative elections.

Text reads: Presidential Candidate (Golkar’s Aburizal Bakrie), Politician, Legislative Candidate, Politics (President Yudhoyono)

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency a total of 5,650 or an average of 514 people per year lost their lives due to disasters such as flooding and landslides from 2003 to 2013.

1st Man: He’s coming here to inspect the situation yeah?

2nd Man: No fool, he’s off to a party meeting

Kid: There’s an awful smell of image building in the air Dad...

Man: Is Pertamina or the people loosing money... and who’s profiting?

With many senior government officials vying with each other to be nominated by the major political parties as presidential candidates (Capres) and more than 90% of lawmakers running as legislative candidates (Caleg) in the April general elections, the political elite have all but abandoned the pretence of trying to run the country.

Man: Peace on earth!

Kid: Dynasties aren’t just in Banten are they Mr?

Man speaking to Transport Minister EE Mangindaan: Mr Minister, the road accident rate is dropping, that means transportation is improving yeah?

Man: Ahh, all that’s changed is the year and they’ve gotten older...

Caleg: It’s also changed my fortunes!

Man: Please, go ahead Mr...

Man speaking to KPK chief Abraham Samad and Supreme Audit Agency head Hadi Poernomo: What’s important is where the money went Mr!

Kid: The money’s found its way far and wide... and in the end...

With legislative and presidential elections only a few months away, the Australian spy scandal provided a perfect opportunity for political grandstanding with politicians of every strip falling over each other to demonstrate their nationalist credentials by either blasting Australia – or slamming President Yudhoyono for over-reacting or criticis

Man: Don’t go saying my party is a corrupt party!

With hordes of cheap, new cars and motorcycles continuing to hit the city’s streets, and the two rail-based public transit networks not expected to be ready until at least 2016, experts have warned that Jakarta faces total gridlock in 2014.

Man: Look out Mr!

Man: There are still lots of masked monkeys like this in Jakarta right Mr?

Document reads: ‘Iron-Sand Mining Project Permit’

Man: A fantasy umbrella waving in the morning sun, hey, hey who is she...

Kid: May I see your radiant face... hey, hey Bunda Putri... (from the song Payung Fantasi by Ismail Marzuk)

Observers say that the arrest of Constitutional Court Chief Justice Akil Mochtar on corruption charges has severely shaken the public’s faith in the judicial system and ordinary people are starting to despair in the face of a litany of corruption and bribery cases involving every branch of power – legislative, judicial and executive.