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Radical Group to Ignore Summons Over Century Case
Zaky Pawas & Nurfika Osman | February 02, 2010

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The nationalist People’s Democratic Defense was defiant on Tuesday, saying it would not honor a police summons issued after two of its leaders were named suspects in a defamation case filed by several senior politicians.

The Jakarta Police on Tuesday named Mustar Bona Ventura and Ferdi Simaun as suspects in a defamation case filed by Edi Baskoro, a Democratic Party lawmaker and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s son; Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa; Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto; Youth and Sports Affairs Minister Andi Mallarangeng and his brothers Rizal and Choel.

The defamation case was filed in December after the fringe group, also known as Bendera (Flag), claimed that the six men, along with Yudhoyono, received bailout funds intended to rescue ailing PT Bank Century in 2008.

Bendera also named a number of institutions as also having benefited from the bailout — the General Elections Commission (KPU), the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), Choel’s Fox Indonesia consultancy and the Democratic Party.

“They are now suspects and we are going to question them on Thursday,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said on Tuesday.

“We have evidence, including witness testimony, expert testimony and documents from news clippings.”

Mustar, however, told the Jakarta Globe that they would not attend the police station.

“We will not come to the police station as we believe this is not an important summons. The police should have summoned and investigated the people who are involved in the flow of Century money,” Mustar said.

“The police are devising a new ploy in this case as they are not looking at this case objectively,” he said. “The police have been interfered with by these powerful people,” he said.

In response, the police said they would use force if needed to bring the two suspects in for questioning.

Mustar told the Jakarta Globe that they were going to fight back legally and politically.

“We are going to report them back to the police. We are not afraid if the police are not on our side. This is going to be a precedent for the police,” he said. “We are going to stage mass actions in the country on April 27 to warn the president and his cronies about this case.”

He said that his organization would amass in every region of the country.

“We are also going to conduct a rally on Thursday to protest this summons,” he said.

Bendera also caused a stir last September with its anti-Malaysian protests, setting up roadblocks in Central Jakarta to harass Malaysians and threatening to invade.