Megawati receives Timor-Leste's highest honour

The fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia and Chairperson of the PDI Perjuangan, Megawati Soekarnoputri, was officially awarded Timor-Leste’s highest honour, the Grande Colar da Ordem de Timor-Leste, in a ceremony at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace in Dili on Thursday. The event commenced in the morning, with Megawati greeted by vibrant local artistic and dance performances upon her arrival. She was warmly welcomed by two prominent Timorese leaders, President José Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão. The Head of the Presidential Staff of Timor-Leste, Henriqueta Maria da Silva, stated that the award, based on Law No. 2/2009, was conferred in recognition of Megawati’s significant contribution to strengthening friendship, dialogue, and the normalisation of bilateral relations following the restoration of Timor-Leste’s independence. In his tribute, President Ramos-Horta specifically lauded Megawati’s crucial role during Indonesia’s difficult democratic transition, the Reformasi period. He highlighted her courageous decision in the 1999 election to accept the constitutional outcome peacefully to maintain institutional stability. ‘Ibu Megawati calmly accepted that constitutional decision and assumed the office of Vice President. She placed the interests of democracy above her legitimate personal aspirations. That choice represents one of the highest proofs of true statesmanship,’ Ramos-Horta said. He also praised her magnanimity as President of Indonesia in 2001, when she fully accepted the new historical reality, supported the UN transition (UNTAET), and built strong diplomatic bridges. In a lighter moment, Ramos-Horta joked about Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, saying he graduated summa cum laude from ‘Cipinang University’, referring to the prison where Gusmão was once held. After receiving the medal, Megawati began her speech with a warm ‘Bondia, Timor-Leste!’ She asserted that the award was not an end, but a mandate and a promise for the future that Indonesia and Timor-Leste must continue to work on. ‘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,’ Megawati emphasised. She also urged the younger generation of both nations to nurture this equal relationship. Megawati shared a light-hearted memory of her first visit to Dili, confessing she would never forget the explosive heat of the local bird’s eye chilli, which she joked was more powerful than a bomb, and revealed she had sent her staff to the market to buy some to take home. The ceremony concluded with five group photo sessions involving family members, parliamentary leaders, the Timorese military and police, and secretaries-general of local political parties including CNRT, Fretilin, PD, PLP, and KHUNTO.