T

he uproar over book bans is just the latest in a string of protests against any sign of trampling on the freedom of expression. Interestingly, the bans also instantly paved the way for alternative ways to view the banned books.

By Saturday, more than a dozen websites had become available for those who wanted to download one of the five books recently banned by the Attorney General's Office (AGO). Following the ban announced late last year, more websites were added to the existing few, to cater to those curious about the translated 2006 book on the communist purge in Indonesia by the historian John Roosa.

"It takes an ignorant regime to ban books," one Facebook post read Saturday.

Indonesian readers are analyzing the contents of Roosa's work, questioning the ever mysterious figures of the total killed in the massacre, and characters who are becoming increasingly vague with each new generation - particularly because for more than 30 years only one official version of the story prevailed.

More books are on the list to be banned, even as lively discussions are taking place about the contents.

Cyberspace is also alive with other protests on the freedom of expression; Facebook "movements" have cropped up in defense of celebrity Luna Maya, who faced a lawsuit based on the new electronic information and transaction (ITE) law against "infotainment" journalists; and earlier, we saw the solidarity for the housewife Prita Mulyasari. Both cases have spurred the "movement for freedom of expression" suppressed by the ITE law.

On Friday, writers, lawyers, activists and artists signed a petition protesting against the banning of books.

The statement said banning books was acceptable only via a judicial process if there were strong concerns about content raising racial or religious hatred or similar issues leading to the erosion of people's freedom.

"But here we don't have this kind of mechanism," historian Hilmar Farid, one of 82 signatories of the statement, said Saturday.

The government's motivation to ban books even though they could be easily accessible on the Internet, he said, "would likely be symbolic".

However, the ban on books has triggered a far lesser reaction than the more visible support for Luna Maya, and the "coin movement" supporting Prita's search for justice.

Overwhelming support expressed concerns that anyone emailing a complaint on hospital services, as in Prita's case, would end up facing a lawsuit based on the ITE law.

So far, the Facebook campaign against the banning of books has only gained around 6,000 members.

"With book bans, the fastest reaction has been from the intellectual community," Hilmar said.

Unlike the days of the New Order, he said, the public feels the situation is fairly free.

However, merely with the "symbolic" act of banning books, he said, the government has shown it is intent on stressing its authority to declare it a crime to read certain content.