Nivell Rayda & Nurfika Osman – A controversial new book has inflamed passions over the PT Bank Century bailout with claims that the Democratic Party received illegal campaign contributions for the 2009 presidential elections.

On Sunday, House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie proposed harsher prison sentences for people convicted of criminal defamation, following the release last week of "Membongkar Gurita Cikeas: Di Balik Skandal Bank Century" ("Unravelling the Cikeas Octopus: Behind the Bank Century Scandal"), written by prominent sociologist and anti-Suharto activist George Junus Aditjondro.

The book accuses the ruling Democratic Party of using nonprofit foundations associated with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to transfer funds to its coffers during the 2009 electoral season. The book also claims that state funds used to bail out Bank Century were diverted to one of the foundations.

The president's supporters have denounced the book's claims. Marzuki, a senior member of the Democratic Party, said the book was "libelous and disrespectful to the president as head of government and head of state."

"People who make such baseless accusations must be firmly sanctioned. That's why it's necessary to amend articles [of the Criminal Code] on defamation," he was quoted by the state-run Antara news agency as saying.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha also rejected the book's allegations. "We are questioning the techniques and methods used by the author to come to a conclusion that the president and his foundations are involved in the [Bank] Century and other cases mentioned in the book," Julian said on Sunday.

Julian said that Yudhoyono had neither requested that the book be banned nor filed a police complaint against Aditjondro for defamation.

The book was launched in Yogyakarta last week. Indonesia's biggest bookstore chain, Gramedia, pulled it from its shelves on Sunday, according to the book's publisher, Galang Press. Gramedia could not be reached for comment.

Julius Felicianus, chief executive officer of Galang Press, said that despite Gramedia's decision, half the print run of 4,000 books has already been sold. "In just two days we have sold around 2,000 copies," he said.