Megawati Receives Highest Honour from Timor-Leste Government

President José Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste conferred the nation’s highest honour, the Grande Colar da Ordem de Timor-Leste, upon former Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri during a ceremony at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace in Dili on Thursday. The award was given in recognition of her significant contribution to strengthening friendship, dialogue, and the normalisation of bilateral relations following Timor-Leste’s restoration of independence. Horta specifically praised Megawati’s role during Indonesia’s transition to reform, highlighting her decision to peacefully accept the results of the 1999 election to maintain institutional stability. “She placed the interests of democracy above her own legitimate personal aspirations. That choice represents one of the highest proofs of a true statesman,” Horta said. The Grande Colar da Ordem de Timor-Leste is the country’s highest civilian award, reserved for heads of state, government, and prominent international figures who have made extraordinary contributions to the nation. In her acceptance speech, Megawati emphasised that the honour was not an end, but a mandate and a promise for the future that must be continued by both Indonesia and Timor-Leste. “This Grand Collar is not merely a medal. It is a chain of interlocking links. Each link supports the next. For me, that is its meaning: the friendship between Indonesia and Timor-Leste is a chain that must keep extending—from one generation to the next, without ever breaking,” she said. Megawati was accompanied on the visit by family members and a central delegation from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), including Puti Guntur Soekarno, Hendra Hartomo, Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto, and senior party officials Bintang Puspayoga, Ahmad Basarah, Andreas H. Pareira, and Andi Widjajanto.