Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is faced with a simmering scandal at the heart of the Democratic Party that he heads, threatening its unity just as jockeying is underway ahead of national elections due in 2014. On Monday, the president exploded at reporters, denouncing the media and users of social networking sites for spreading what he called false allegations, and saying that “Two days ago there was someone who slandered me from a dark place with a dark heart. This was outrageous slander including personal insults. I say openly they are irresponsible, ignoble and cowardly.”