Ali Sadikin summoned over Soebadio's book

JAKARTA (JP): The Attorney General's Office will question government critic Ali Sadikin today in its investigation of another critic, Soebadio Sastrosatomo, whose book was banned recently.

Ali's lawyer, Munir, said his client had received a summons Thursday. Ali was governor of Jakarta from 1966 to 1977. He then became the leader of Petisi 50, a group of government critics.

On March 4, Attorney General Singgih banned the 22-page book, New Era, New Leader: Badio Rejects the New Order Regime's Engineering, written by Soebadio, a former leader of the defunct Indonesian Socialist Party. Singgih said the book could provoke unrest and tarnish the government's image.

Investigators at the Attorney General's Office questioned Soebadio on March 6.

Republika daily has quoted the 79-year-old as saying that the new leaders did not meet the standard of leadership set by independence fighters.

Soebadio said President Soeharto's New Order administration was more interested in power than people's sovereignty. "Those who disagreed with the New Order were arrested," Soebadio was quoted by Republika as saying.

Soebadio said he had sent copies of his book to Ali Sadikin, who had asked to reprint the book, and former diplomat M. Yusuf Ronodipuro who had asked for 10 copies to be sent to a foundation of former independence fighters, Yayasan Dewan Harian Angkatan 45.

Munir questioned whether the summons was legal because it was issued by the Attorney General's Office's Center for Intelligence Operations.

"The intelligence operations center has no right to summons people, because it is only an instrument to help the Attorney General's Office to collect data," he said.

"Only the Attorney General's deputies for special crimes and general crimes have the authority to issue summons," Munir said.

He said the summons had failed to specify the capacity in which Ali Sadikin would be questioned. (05)