Name cards cause trouble

SURABAYA: A 64-year-old man has been interrogated by prosecutors for distributing his name cards bearing a picture of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, since 1991.

Sallie Roeswandi's red name cards said "Admirer and mouthpiece of Bung Karno" and included a head shot of the country's proclaimer of independence.

Accompanied by 17 defense lawyers, he appeared Monday at the city's prosecutors' office for questioning on his motives for printing the cards.

"I have been Bung Karno's admirer since Japanese occupation (1942-1945). Since getting these name cards printed, I have made a lot of friends who will listen to my lectures on Bung Karno's teachings," he told The Jakarta Post.

He said a team of prosecutors had asked many questions on Marhaenism and Sukarno's other teachings and on ex-president's alleged involvement in the Indonesian Communist Party.

Sallie, who heads the Indonesian Workers Union's Gresik chapter, said the interrogation was meant to "distort the historical facts" of the republic. (nur/pan)