Endy M. Bayuni, Jakarta – The newly released Membongkar Gurita Cikeas: Dibalik skandal Bank Century (Unmasking the Cikeas Octopus – Behind the Bank Century Scandal) has used all the tricks in the marketing textbook to become what must surely be one of the best sellers of 2010.

Even before its official launch on Wednesday, the book, by senior journalist George Junus Aditjondro, is guaranteed huge success thanks to the publicity it has enjoyed, from front page headlines in many newspapers and top bulletins in TV news programs, to becoming the subject of TV talk shows and interactive programs.

There is also the extensive discussion on the Net.

One of the first rules in successful marketing is to create a huge controversy that gets everyone talking about the product. This the book has already accomplished.

Since the book looks into President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and how four foundations helped raise money for his 2009 re-election campaign, he quickly took the bait and, like it or not, became an important part of George's sales campaign. Now everyone wants to get their hands on the book, assuming that it will be available.

There is a little catch George needs to overcome before he can really laugh his way to the bank to cash in on his success: There are few book stores willing to handle this hot political potato, even if they are guaranteed their hefty 40 percent commission.

The major book retailers aren't feeling easy about selling the book for fear of, excuse the pun, the President's tentacle.

Everyone is waiting for how the President reacts. The Attorney General's Office, already very much in high gear after banning five books early this month, is looking into the possibility of banning this one too, just as soon as it can get its hand on a copy. But a ban would only provoke more people to secure their copies in the black market.

George, who carved his name as an investigative journalist and later an academic by looking into the massive corruption of President Soeharto in the 1990s, has this time set his sights on Yudhoyono and the foundations which bankrolled the highly successful re-election campaign this year.

Sadly, the controversy around the book has rarely touched this aspect of the book. This is the real message, which seems to have been lost in the octopus' ink blob.

Most of the debate has been about the validity of George's conclusions, the secondary data he uses, the methodology employed, the academic credentials of the author, the denials and criticisms from the President and his men, the threats of defamation lawsuits, the possibility of a ban and the availability in book stores.

Putting aside the questions about the validity of the claims, the reliability of the data and the methods used, the Cikeas Octopus raises an important issue about the 2009 election that has never resolved: Irregularities over election campaign finances.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) which was supposed to enforce the campaign finance regulations, including auditing the books of the contesting parties and candidates, has already closed its books.

But the election funds audited by the KPU hardly reflected the real sums raised and spent by candidates and political parties. Nobody knows for sure how much money was raised and spent, but we know it's a lot. And the KPU, along with the political parties and the candidates, even the losing ones, conspired to conceal the true amount from the public.

Now George has effectively opened Pandora's box by looking at the money trails involving four foundations that worked for Yudhoyono, who happened to be the winner. It could have been Jusuf Kalla or Megawati Soekarnoputri, whose challenge to unseat Yudhoyono flopped, because we know they spent much more money than they cared to admit.

President Yudhoyono should try to be less sensitive and not take criticisms against him too personally.

He seems to be doing a lot of that lately, and by drawing attention to himself in this book controversy, he has diverted attention from the real issue that needs to be addressed.

He could be doing himself a big favor, and if he is as clean as he claims to be, he should allow the case to be reopened and investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The issue of election campaign finances needs to be resolved once and for all. Only then can he claim true legitimacy to his re-election victory.