Manai proud of his controversial book on Sukarno
JAKARTA (JP): Manai Sophiaan is undeterred by the storms of controversy over his newly published book which tries to prove that the late president Sukarno was not involved in the 1965 communist coup.
Manai, still looking vital despite his 80 years, insisted yesterday that the Kehormatan Bagi yang Berhak (Honor for the One Who Deserves It) was well researched.
"I supported it with numerous authentic documents and interviews with figures who made the history," he told journalists in at his residence in the South Jakarta suburb of Cilandak.
The 330-page book was launched on Sept. 7 to coincide with his 80th birthday. The first 3,000 copies have been sold out and he is now considering a second edition due to the rising number of orders.
The book gives details relating to the 1965 coup attempt which are not in line with the official version of what happened. It was launched ahead of the government's publication of the "white book" on the disputed event, which is expected soon.
The book, which is not available in bookstores or on the streets, has triggered speculation and debate in the local mass media. Manai's allegation that student demonstrations to topple Sukarno were paid for by the CIA has plunged him into hot water. Some of the demonstrators plan to sue him for libel.
Claiming he is close to Sukarno ideologically rather than personally, Manai said he wrote the book out of concern that many people nowadays paint a gloomy picture about the man who proclaimed Indonesia's independence in 1945.
"They let Bung Karno die at his house prison and he has been portrayed unfairly as pro-communist," said the former ambassador to Moscow during the Sukarno administration.
Manai was one-time secretary-general of the powerful Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI) founded by Sukarno. The party merged with Christian forces into the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) in 1973.
Critics say that Manai twists historical facts to fit his theories that Sukarno was not behind the coup simply because he admires the former president.
Stripped of power
For example, they question why Sukarno refused to liquidate the PKI for its role in the coup attempt that claimed the lives of six generals on the night of Sept. 30, 1965.
Manai argued that Sukarno was stripped of power by the then Provisional People's Consultative Assembly (MPRS) before the president could deal with the communist party.
Manai backed his argument with the fact that Sukarno chose to spend the rest of his life at home instead of living in exile like other deposed leaders, such as Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines.
Moscow and Beijing, which Jakarta suspected of being involved in the coup, condemned the PKI leaders and called them political adventurers, he said.
He also revealed the involvement of the CIA in the campaigns to topple Sukarno by hiring youths to demonstrate and providing arms to separatist rebels.
"The Americans wanted to see Indonesia divided because its leaders were considered inexperienced in running a vast territory and therefore vulnerable to communist infiltration," he recalled.
Manai said there had been no input from government officials for the book which he said has been made available to numerous individuals here and to major libraries in the U.S. and Australia.
The Attorney General's Office, which has the authority to ban books, usually waits until a book has been circulated first before taking any action.
Manai said he had no intention of having his book published by an enterprise, not because of fears of a possible ban, but because he did not want anyone to edit and sell the volumes at higher prices. "I want to print and sell them myself, so that the books can reach the public without a third party's intervention," he said. (pan)