Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday called on the Indonesian people to end the debate on the place of Pancasila as the country's state ideology, saying to do so was "inappropriate, counterproductive and ahistorical".

"Let us stop the debate on Pancasila," the President said in his speech commemorating the birth of Pancasila at the People's Consultative Assembly in Jakarta on Tuesday.

It was the first official commemoration of Pancasila attended by the President and lawmakers at the Assembly. The last time Yudhoyono delivered a speech on the state ideology on the same date was at the Jakarta Convention Center in 2006.

June 1 is the date the country's first president, Sukarno, 65 years ago delivered a speech in which he introduced the word "Pancasila".

The Soeharto-led New Order administration refused to recognize the date as Pancasila day in an attempt to wipe Sukarno from the nation's collective memory.

Pancasila, which literally means "the five pillars", has been a subject of controversy since it was first formulated by the country's founding fathers, who were then often engaged in ideological bickering. It is widely seen as compromise between conflicting ideologies at the time, mainly Islamism, socialism and secular nationalism.

Others considered it to be the brainchild of Sukarno, who they said believed Islam, nationalism and Marxism were complementary.

Yudhoyono expressed his appreciation of Sukarno, saying his "thoughts are always relevant to answer any future challenges."

"Bung Karno said he grasped Pancasila from the soil of Indonesia. Nationalism, according to him, is not an exclusive type of nationalism. He regarded nationalism as the purpose to obtain world unity and brotherhood, so that there is no need for conflict," he added.

The debate on Pancasila was renewed following the downfall of Soeharto in 1998. Today, it is still dogged by controversy.

Even Yudhoyono's visit to the assembly to commemorate Pancasila has drawn criticism from some politicians, who said the official commemoration of the state ideology on June 1 was a political move to favor the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, which is headed by Sukarno's daughter Megawati Soekarnoputri.

AM Fatwa, a politician from the National Mandate Party (PAN), believed Pancasila day was Aug. 18, which is officially Constitution Day.

"The commemoration isn't in line with the Assembly's internal regulations, which say the Assembly leaders can only come together on a formal basis when approved by a joint meeting with the Regional Representatives Council factions," he said.

House of Representatives deputy speakers, Taufik Kurniawan, also from PAN, said Yudhoyono's speech did not necessarily mean that June 1 had been declared as the birth date of Pancasila.

"What happened today is the best solution for all of the country's stakeholders who are still debating about the actual birth date of Pancasila," he told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Tuesday.