Indonesia Raya, the national anthem, is played at every state ceremony, but on Friday during the House of Representatives General Assembly to commemorate Independence Day, it was noticeably absent.

At the assembly, which started at 9 a.m., President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla entered to the applause of 395 House members and honorary guests, including foreign ambassadors.

After the president and vice president were seated, the assembly proceeded with silent prayers. House Speaker Agung Laksono then delivered the opening speech, covering subjects ranging from terrorism to the Anti-Corruption Court Bill.

At the end of his speech, Agung noted that the national anthem had not been played.

Following heated protests by legislator Panda Nababan and People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Deputy Chairman AM Fatwa, Agung apologized for the fact that the national anthem had been forgotten at the start of the meeting.

"It's very disgraceful," said Tjahjo Kumolo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). "This is a very serious mistake. It has only happened once and should be really embarrassing for the House."

In the future, he said, the House and the State Palace needed to work together to ensure that the mistake was never repeated. "If the House forgets, the State Palace should remind it," Tjahjo said.