But as time went by, he managed to obtain data and evidence, which — at least according to him — was significant and appropriate enough to uncover the Bank Century scandal and eventually led him to the conclusion that something was fishy in the 2009 general election.

That was the story behind the working progress of the third sequel of a series on corruption, allegedly involving the country’s highest families. Now that copies of the book have limitedly reached readers (although the official book launch will be held today) there is a growing concern over the eventual fate of the publication (and/or sales) of the book – that it might be banned for good.

Is it appropriate for the government to issue an order to ban the book? What are all the options available then?

The book is indeed a product of journalistic work. And as a product of journalism, it does contain data and evidence to support the corruption allegations in the bank scandal and subsequent political clouds surrounding the 2009 elections.

But the book is not free from flaws either, as the author obtained the data and information from secondary sources — the media and the internet — while he also failed to identify the sources whose testimonies are quoted in the book. In the universal journalistic world, the book is considered less credible as it has been built upon data and quotes from such secondary and unnamed sources.

It is true that to a certain extent the content is controversial and could be considered a character assassination against people mentioned in the book. But, to issue an order for the banning of the publication (and/or sales) of the book is similarly controversial and constitutionally unlawful.

Constitutional Court chief Mahfud M.D. assures that the 1945 Constitution does not recognize such book bans, citing that even if the ruling does exist, it is only regulated in the country’s lowest level regulation — a government regulation.

Should the government eventually decide to ban the book, such a move will only make the book more popular and prompt the people to hunt for copies of it more eagerly. And any attempts to prevent the book from reaching the audience will very likely end in a failure as there are numerous channels available for people to get their hands on the books content. And should the parties or individuals whose names are mentioned in the book feel offended and disagree with its substance, they could channel their disagreement in an elegant and constitutional manner.

They could similarly publish books to counter the allegations that Aditjondro has written in his book. Or they could hold media conferences or issue statements to clarify or counter the allegations. As the last option, they could file a report to the police or a lawsuit with the court if they consider all the allegations are groundless and defamatory.

As a nation, we might still be in the early stage of democratization. But it must not prevent us from becoming the true believers and implementors of democracy.

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