Indonesian President Lauds PM Modi's Governance, Awards Highest Honour

New Delhi/ Bhopal July 7, 2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received rare public praise from Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Tuesday. The Indonesian leader said he follows the Prime Minister's career and has drawn lessons from several Indian governance programmes.

According to media reports from Jakarta, President Subianto made the remarks at a banquet hosted during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit. He said Indonesia had been studying Indian models in areas such as agriculture and public welfare, and joked that he was happy there was “no copyright” on good governance programmes.

The remarks came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the Bintang Adipurna of the Republic of Indonesia, the country's highest civilian honour, by President Subianto. The PMO said the award was given for the Prime Minister's leadership and contribution to strengthening India-Indonesia relations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the honour to the people of India and Indonesia. He said it reflected the warmth of the Indonesian people and the historic ties between the two countries. The two leaders also held official talks in Jakarta. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India and Indonesia adopted a joint statement during the visit and discussed cooperation across several areas, including defence, maritime security, agriculture and economic partnership.

The visit underlined the growing strategic convergence between the two large democracies in the Indo-Pacific. Both countries share deep civilisational links and are seeking closer cooperation in trade, security, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.

President Subianto's praise also gave the visit a political message beyond diplomacy. It projected Indian governance models as examples being studied by other developing nations, especially in areas linked to agriculture, welfare delivery and public systems.

The Jakarta visit is being seen as another step in India's wider engagement with Southeast Asia. The honour conferred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indonesian President's remarks together reflected the growing comfort between New Delhi and Jakarta at a time when both countries are expanding their role in the Indo-Pacific.