Erwida Maulia and Slamet Susanto, Jakarta, Yogyakarta – Several social events held to commemorate the birth of Pancasila on Monday saw experts renewing calls for the national ideology to be revived and transformed to fit in with the modern day Indonesian state.

Many celebrating the day did not miss the opportunity to remind the public of the importance of upholding the five-pluralistic values of Pancasila – belief in one and only God, just and civilized humanity, national unity, democracy guided by discussion and social justice for all.

Noted Islamic scholar and political observer Azyumardi Azra said Pancasila should be adopted as a key issue for debate by presidential and vice presidential candidates ahead of the July 8 presidential race.

He said raising the theme during campaigns could help awaken the public's "collective memory" and awareness of Pancasila.

Azyumardi said Pancasila should be transformed to fit into a modern context, thus reducing public scepticism about the philosophy.

"Pancasila should be revitalized, reinterpreted and reintroduced in accordance with today's challenges, and those of the future. Otherwise a conflicting ideology may emerge, promoted by certain groups as the new foundation of the nation," he said.

Chairman of Pancasila Spirit Movement Guruh Soekarno Putra said Pancasila had now become "an unfamiliar idea" to Indonesians, with children only learning to memorize the points but not to adopt and implement them in everyday life.

Guruh's elder sister Megawati Soekarnoputri was seemingly the only presidential candidate to pay attention to remembering Pancasila's origins. She attended an event to reflect on Pancasila that ran from Sunday night until dawn Monday.

Chairman of the steering committee of Pancasila Congress, Sutaryo, read a statement Monday in Yogyakarta outlining a joint declaration produced in the congress, which included a call for the government to "reinvent, preserve and develop" the values of Pancasila.

"Pancasila is the foundation of the country that should serve as main source of values and moral parameters in defending the country and producing regulations," Sutaryo said before an audience of around 400 teachers, researchers and observers at Gadjah Mada University.