DILI, 09 July 2026 (TATOLI) – Former Indonesian President, Megawati Soekarnoputri today received the Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste, the nation’s highest award, in recognition of her exceptional role in supporting and witnessing the restoration of Timor-Leste’s independence, and her significant contributions to the reconciliation, normalization, and official establishment of diplomatic relations between Timor-Leste and Indonesia.
The award was conferred by President José Ramos-Horta after Megawati delivered her Presidential Lecture entitled “Two Countries Share Common Goals” at the Presidential Palace in Dili.
Ramos-Horta praised Megawati’s leadership as decisive and historic, saying she chose friendship over resentment by supporting Timor-Leste during the restoration of its independence in 2002 after 24 years of conflict. “You embraced uncertainty with us and chose a promising future over our tragic past. When you stood with us as Timor-Leste entered the international community in 2002, you were not merely witnessing history—you were helping to complete it,” Horta said.
Ramos-Horta said Megawati’s decision to support reconciliation with Timor-Leste remained one of the clearest examples of two nations choosing peace over division, adding that her leadership continued to serve as a powerful model at a time when conflicts persist around the world.
“Today, our two countries enjoy exemplary bilateral relations, standing as a global gold standard for post-conflict reconciliation and nation-building,” the head of state stressed.
Ramos-Horta said: “It is therefore my highest duty and greatest personal joy, on behalf of the state and the people of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, to bestow upon you our nation’s highest accolade: The Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste.”
The reconciliation between Indonesia and Timor-Leste has been widely seen as a significant example of post-conflict relations between former adversaries.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to say that I am happy to be here,” Megawati said during the lecture.
Megawati recalled that she and the then President Xanana Gusmão had agreed that true reconciliation did not mean erasing the past, but instead required moral courage from the leaders of both countries.
“Reconciliation certainly requires moral courage from the leaders of the two countries. Reconciliation does not forget history. It takes valuable lessons from the past. Reconciliation is the path of peace through sincere friendship, while believing in the future. It is through reconciliation that mutual trust is built along with respect for the dignity of the two countries. That is the path we have taken,” she explained.
Indonesia’s first female President said that for Indonesia itself, reconciliation is based on the “mantra” conveyed by Bung Karno, the Proclamator and Father of the Indonesian Nation who has written the sentence in the first paragraph of the 1945 Constitution: “That independence is the right of all nations, then colonialism in the world must be abolished, because it is not in accordance with humanity and justice”. “This is what I decided to do when I decided on the path of reconciliation on the eve of the Restoration of East Timor’s Independence in 2002,” Megawati said.
The visit reflects Megawati’s historical ties to Timor-Leste. The ties between Timor-Leste and Indonesia remain strong, including people-to-people links, socio-cultural cooperation and government-to-government relations.
Megawati served as Indonesia’s fifth president from 2001 to 2004, after previously holding the position of vice president.
She was the country’s first female head of state and is the daughter of Indonesia’s founding president, Sukarno.
Megawati remains an influential political figure and currently leads the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.
TATOLI
