Legislator Ruhut can no longer afford cigars

JAKARTA: Eccentric Democratic Party politician Ruhut Sitompul says he can no longer pursue his hobby of collecting cigars after becoming a House of Representatives legislator.

“The cigars I have are leftover gifts clients gave me,” Ruhut, previously a prominent attorney, said at the House of Representatives on Monday.

Ruhut said that when he was still practicing law he could earn between Rp 1 billion (US$112,000) to Rp 3 billion a month handling client casework.

“My salary as a legislator is too small to buy cigars,” Ruhut said, adding that a good cigar costs around Rp 500,000.

“I know of some brands that charge Rp 3 million for a single cigar,” he said.

“That’s why I no longer collect them.” — JP