Legal Literacy - Indonesian politics, as an arena for contesting various interests, seems to be showing an increasingly bleak face, even though it is polished with a cheerful and encouraging image on the mass media veranda.

The phenomenon of pork barrel politics or familiarly referred to as pork barrel politics, is one of the issues that is currently being discussed by a number of groups in the midst of political corruption that is increasingly eroding the pillars of democracy in this country.

In our current context, pork barrel politics is associated as a form of misuse of the distribution of state funds which is carried out selectively towards a number of areas that are considered strategic in gaining support from constituents.

This strategy has become one of the ultimate weapons for politicians to maintain the leadership position they have mastered, but at the same time, this method obscures the face of democracy which ideally should be based on the principles of justice and transparency.

This is the paradox that has occurred in our political system over the past five years: in the midst of claims and glorification of the ideals of reform, corrupt practices still grip, and are even increasingly organized in a complete manner.

In Indonesia, the phenomenon of pork barrel has become part of a political culture that is difficult to refute. In almost every election contest, we can see how legislative or executive candidates use public office, budgets or state facilities for their own interests which are seemingly designed in the name of "people's welfare".

Positions and state budgets that should be managed fairly and transparently are often used for electoral interests, without considering equity and program sustainability.

This short-term dirty practice further exacerbates increasingly unequal social conditions, where assistance is more prioritized to areas that are considered to have promising potential for gaining votes, while other areas are increasingly marginalized.

Of course, such a political strategy is very detrimental to the condition of the people. They seem to be fed temporary pain relievers, with the aim of diverting their attention from the real core problems.

Poverty, which should be a social problem, in the eyes of politicians is actually the main target for vote-getters. As a result, the practice of "dawn attacks" before voting time, exchanging votes for money or basic necessities has become an acute problem in the field that is difficult to resolve.