Megawati Receives Timor-Leste's Highest Honour, Calls for Lasting Brotherhood
Former Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri has been awarded the Grande Colar da Ordem de Timor-Leste, the country’s highest civilian honour, during a ceremony at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace in Dili. The award was presented by President José Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, who together lifted the guest book to read Megawati’s handwritten message: ‘Always wanting to perpetuate the friendship (familial and political) between the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of Timor-Leste forever.’ The honour was granted under Presidential Decree Number 72/2026, recognising Megawati’s services in advancing bilateral relations and reconciliation between the two countries.
After the medal was pinned by President Ramos-Horta, Megawati began her speech with a warm greeting, ‘Bondia, Timor-Leste!’ She stated that the award was not an end, but a mandate and a promise for the future that must be continuously worked on by Indonesia and Timor-Leste. ‘This award is not merely a medal. It is an interlocking chain. Each link supports the next,’ Megawati said. ‘For me, that is the meaning of the friendship between Indonesia and Timor-Leste: a chain that must keep extending, from one generation to the next, without ever breaking.’ During the occasion, Megawati also called upon Kupa Lopez, a young Timorese man who once sought her permission to enter politics and has since become a successful diplomat.
President Ramos-Horta praised Megawati’s crucial role during Indonesia’s democratic transition, highlighting her courageous decision to accept the constitutional outcome of the 1999 election peacefully. He also appreciated her statesmanship in accepting Timor-Leste’s independence, noting that she built strong diplomatic bridges rather than harbouring resentment. Megawati later delivered a Presidential Lecture titled ‘Two Nations Weaving Shared Aspirations’, where she recalled the emotional moment of Timor-Leste’s restoration of independence in 2002. She shared her inner turmoil at witnessing the Indonesian flag being lowered, a flag sewn by her mother, Fatmawati, but emphasised that the event was not a tragedy of separation but the birth of a new sibling nation.
During her three-day visit, Megawati outlined key areas for future cooperation, including the urgent need for a fair border agreement, strengthening ASEAN collaboration, and empowering women in decision-making roles. She also advised Timor-Leste to draft laws regulating artificial intelligence, recounting a personal experience of being a victim of AI-manipulated imagery. Megawati’s visit included a pilgrimage to the Seroja Heroes Cemetery and meetings with Indonesian citizens and former PDIP cadres in Timor-Leste.