Camelia Pasandaran – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on the public to make its protests more polite.

The president said he had asked for information about whether recent demonstrations were "decent or not" and had discovered that people were calling the president, Vice President Boediono and ministers thieves over a large loud speaker. "Nothing can be done about it," Yudhoyono said.

"There were (demonstrators) that carried along a buffalo, (implying) that SBY's body was as big, lazy and stupid as the buffalo that was being carried," he said.

"Is it freedom of expression to step on photos and burn things everywhere? Please hold discussions with a clear mind to save our democracy, to save our culture and to save the national civilization."

On Jan. 28 during a demonstration, one group bought a buffalo to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, however police turned them away. The protests were held to coincide with the end of the first 100 days of Yudhoyono's second term. The protesters numbered about 7,000 in Jakarta and up to 1,000 in other big cities.

The president's statement came in an opening speech during a working meeting bringing together with his ministers, governors, the presidential advisory board and legal institutions to discuss the National Mid-Term Development Plan, known as the RPJMN.

Among the six issues that will be discussed are bureaucracy reform, law enforcement, democracy and security.

Yudhoyono said that as a nation which has culture, values and a good civilization, demonstrations such as those held at the end of January should be expressed in a positive way without hindering democracy or freedom of expression.

"Let's talk about it in a nice way," he said. "We should also keep social order, legal order and decency."

Yudhoyono said that the outside world could also see what happened in Indonesia due to sophisticated information technology.

"The spirit is not to cease democracy, as democracy is part of reformation and it is part of our will for a dignified democracy, in order to support togetherness and our unity," he said. "With public security, development will run well."