House regulation does not forbid love affairs

Reports of extramarital relations involving House of Representatives legislators have been rife, but one House deputy speaker has warned against public discussion of the issue.

“There is no clause within our standing order that forbids legislators from love affairs. Legislators are human and can make mistakes. This kind of issue should not be publicly exposed,” deputy speaker Priyo Budi Santoso of the Golkar Party said Friday.

The House honors board said it had received numerous reports from the public regarding legislators involved in extramarital affairs.

“Those reports should be examined if the acts are deemed in violation of the House code of ethics,” Priyo said, while adding he suspected a possible hidden agenda.

“They [the reports] could be part of a political smear campaign,” he said.

Former Golkar Party legislator Yahya Zaini and former Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislator Max Moein are the latest politicians to have been implicated in sex scandals.

Two acting legislators from the Democratic Party were also reported to be engaged in an affair with one another.