Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday urged the country's press to use its huge power properly and constructively.

"Indonesian press is one of powerful elements in the country. Please, make sure that the power is used properly and constructively," said the president at the National Press Day commemoration in Palembang, the provincial capital city of South Sumatra, aired live by state-run television station TVRI.

The president said that the press must be able to choose or limit its power so it could be used well to increase public awareness.

"This is the right momentum for the press to do it, to contribute to the public interest," said the president.

Indonesian press, said the president, gained its power in line with growing democracy in the country.

"This is an extra ordinary process, from authoritarian to democracy which brought freedom to people, including to the press," he said.

In the event, the president witnessed a signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the Indonesian School of Journalists by journalism societies, the National Education Ministry, UNESCO and the local administration.

The National Press Day was commemorated for the first time in 1985 and dedicated to the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), which was founded in 1946.