Evi Mariani, Jakarta – Two incidents marring National Children's Day celebrations, have led activists to question the way the government celebrates the day, which they said prioritized the needs of adults.

"July 23 has turned into children's sadness day," Arist Merdeka Sirait, the head of National Commission for Child's Protection (Komnas PA), said on Saturday.

On Friday, the celebration at the Taman Mini theme park, which was attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and National Education Minister Muhammad Nuh, saw the cancellation of the reading of National Children's Congress IX result.

At the end of the ceremony, a boy, identified as CL, reported that he was allegedly hit in the head by a presidential security guard. CL was among the children who got the opportunity to shake Yudhoyono's hand on stage at the event. When he was walking off stage, a man near the President pushed him for being unruly.

Earlier, due to the event being shortened from three to two hours, ceremony organizers told two representatives from the children's congress their time slot had been canceled.

The two representatives, Maesa Ranggawati and Arief Rachman, who flew all the way from Bangka Belitung where the children's congress took place, begged that their presentation would only take five minutes.

Maesa said they planned to read out to the President the eight-point results from 300 children's hard work during the congress from July 19-24.

Minister Nuh, however, still had the opportunity to deliver a speech despite the time reduction. "The government announced a movement it called 'Indonesia loves children' but what we saw at the event yesterday contradicted that statement," Arist said.

Arist said at Pangkalpinang, Bangka Belitung, 300 congress participants from 33 provinces, waited in front of the television to watch their voices being heard by the nation's leader.

"They waited but their two friends never appeared to read their declaration. Many cried, six of them got so emotional they fainted," Arist said. "The image of the President in the eyes of these children has been tarnished."

Arist said the celebration was more for the adults. "Children were standing under the sun to greet the arriving adults," he went on. Arist said next year's celebrations should prioritize children. "Create activities for children instead of a ceremony for adults".

Presidential spokesman Julian Pasha said the national education minister had received the copy of Indonesian Children's Voice, the congress' results, and said that would be enough.

As for CL, who reported the violence, Julian said the presidential office had investigated the matter and could not find any presidential guards who matched CL's description of the man who pushed him.

"All the guards wore batik shirt yesterday, none wore a dark suit like the boy said," the head of the presidential detail, Maj. Gen. Waris, was quoted by detik.com on Saturday.

Arist said Komnas PA would visit CL's family on Sunday, and help the family should they decide to file a complaint to the police.