Megawati says Indonesia and Timor-Leste have found a path of civilisation
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s fifth President and PDI Perjuangan Chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri has stated that relations between Indonesia and Timor-Leste have moved beyond the divisions of past conflict and found a firm new path of civilisation: remembering without resentment and forgiving without forgetting.
Megawati made the remarks while delivering a Presidential Lecture titled “Two Nations Weaving Shared Aspirations” in Dili, Timor-Leste, on Thursday.
Before President José Ramos-Horta, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão and senior local officials, Megawati — in a statement received in Jakarta — said the historical wounds between the two nations have now been transformed into a strong bond of brotherhood. This close relationship is underpinned by the moral courage of two nations destined to live side by side as equal neighbours.
Opening her lecture, Megawati recalled the historic moment 24 years ago, at midnight on 20 May 2002 at Tasitolu Field, when she personally attended the ceremony restoring Timor-Leste’s independence as President of Indonesia.
Megawati candidly shared her inner turmoil at the time, having to witness the Red-and-White flag being lowered. The flag carries deep emotional meaning for her, as it was first sewn by her mother, Fatmawati.
Although many at the time questioned her presence and regarded it as a night of farewell, Megawati asserted the opposite view.
“For 24 years I have kept the answer close. That event was not a tragedy of parting. That night witnessed the birth of Timor-Leste as a brother of Indonesia. That is the meaning of true reconciliation,” Megawati said.
In her dynamic lecture, punctuated with spontaneous emphases, she condensed several crucial issues for the future of both nations.
Megawati encouraged the women of Timor-Leste not to fear entering decision-making spaces. She also stressed that the constitution guarantees equal legal rights.
“God granted women extraordinary biological and mental strength. Women do not only give birth to human children, but also give birth to and raise nations,” she said.
Megawati also warned Timor-Leste to begin drafting strict legislation on the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI).
She recounted a philosophical anecdote on humanity from a lecture she gave in Russia, as well as her personal experience in Indonesia of becoming a victim of face manipulation in advertisements using AI technology.
Turning to strategic economic corridors, Megawati, as Chair of the Steering Board of Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), offered research cooperation with President Ramos-Horta and PM Xanana to build a shared economic growth zone spanning the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) corridor, Dili and Papua.
Through the lecture, she also offered inter-party cooperation, namely joint cadre development and leadership training programmes between PDI Perjuangan and political parties in Timor-Leste, aimed at instilling a party management system based on organisational discipline.
Closing her presidential lecture, Megawati reminded the audience that history does not keep its window open forever. She entrusted a profound message to the younger generations of Indonesia and Timor-Leste not to allow this fraternal relationship to live on merely as a memory of their parents’ generation.
Megawati urged that the fraternal bond be institutionalised concretely through the swift completion of a fair border agreement, student and teacher exchange programmes, and optimised cooperation within the ASEAN framework, where Timor-Leste now stands as a full member with Indonesia’s full support.
“From Dili, the city of fighters, let us proclaim to the world that although we now stand as two nations, we are united by the shared aspiration to build a path of civilisation for the world. Merdeka!” Megawati said.