`Primadosa' author loses lawsuit

JAKARTA (JP): An evangelist has lost his lawsuit against the government for banning his book which the authorities considered a personal affront to President Soeharto.

The Jakarta State Administrative Court has rejected the suit filed by Wimanjaya K. Liotohe, the author of Primadosa (Prime Sin), against Attorney General Singgih last January, Attorney General spokesman Basrief Arief said.

Judge H.R. Benjamin Mangkudilaga in his verdict issued last Thursday ruled that the Attorney General has the authority to ban any printed matter that has the potential to disturb peace and order, according to Basrief.

The court further ruled that the Attorney General, under a 1963 law, has the authority to define what he constitutes to be a threat to public peace and order.

Primadosa was banned on Jan. 24, one week after President Soeharto was made aware of its existence.

The President said the contents of the three-volume book were a personal attack against him, but stressed at the time that he took it as a challenge.

The 60-year-old Wimanjaya has said that Primadosa was not intended for publication but rather as a compilation of documents he filed with a Jakarta court to challenge the legality of Soeharto's rule. In the book he alleged that Soeharto wrested power from his predecessor Sukarno in 1965.

The calls to outlaw the book came from those close to Soeharto, his half brother and businessman Probosutedjo among the few who knew the President, his activities and intentions during the tumultuous years of 1965-66. Moslem leaders also backed the call to ban the book. (02)