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House Ethics Council Will Probe Another Lawmaker’s Love Life
Jakarta Globe | November 09, 2011

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Serigala-Berbulu-Domba
10:10am Nov 9, 2011

Based on the 'rapid developments' in the Ruhut Sitompul investigation by the House of Representatives Ethics Council reportedly involving a similar issue ie no reported progress after 3 months, one can but imagine that a similar time line will apply to the investigation involving a fellow Democratic Party lawmaker, Herman Khaeron.

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The House of Representatives is again investigating the love life of one of its own after a complaint was filed with the Ethics Council by a woman claiming to be the spurned lover of a Democratic lawmaker.

The woman, identified only as Z., says Herman Khaeron, the deputy chairman of House Commission IV, failed to honor his promise to marry her.

Ali Maschan Moesa from the House Ethics Council told the Jakarta Globe that his team was working to reveal the truth behind the accusation.

“We are investigating this now, and while I cannot share any details with you, we have summoned both the accuser and the accused,” Ali said.

When contacted, Herman denied the accusation. “What can I tell you? The information is incorrect,” he said.

Ali said lawmakers were sworn to uphold standards of objectivity, integrity and honesty in their daily lives, as written in the House Ethics Code. Betraying a spouse, he added, is a violation of those standards.

“If the lawmaker is proven guilty, he will be punished.”

This case is not the first the Ethics Council has agreed to look into. In July, lawmakers were confronted by a woman and her son claiming they were the abandoned first family of another Democratic Party member.

Anna Rudhiantiana Legawati, accompanied by son Christian Sitompul, showed the Ethics Council photos of what she said was her 1998 wedding to ex-soap opera star Ruhut Sitompul. Anna said that she and her son were abandoned by Ruhut after he married another woman in 2008.

In making her accusation, Anna said she was acting in the public interest, not for personal gain.

“We urge the House Ethics Council to summon and dismiss Ruhut from the House,” Anna said during her hearing.

Ethics Council members promised Anna at that time that they would get to the bottom of her case. More than three months later, there have been no further public statements from the council.

“We also have proceeded on that case. We summoned Ruhut,” Ali said, rebuffing the suggestion that council members preferred to protect fellow lawmakers from embarrassment.

Ali urged caution, saying such complaints were rarely straightforward, and that some accusations were simply slander.

“That can happen, especially with lawmakers,” he said.