Anies Baswedan Awarded the Freedom of the City of London
Nominated by the Lord Mayor of London, Anies awarded a nearly 800-year-old civic honour previously bestowed on Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and figures ranging from J.K. Rowling to Stephen Hawking. “This Freedom is a doorway, not a trophy,” he says.
Anies Baswedan awarded the Freedom of the City of London on Friday at Guildhall, the historic building that has served as a centre of civic government in the City of London for six centuries. At the close of the ceremony, the former Governor of Jakarta (2017–2022) was formally welcomed as a “Citizen of London”, in keeping with a tradition dating back to the 13th century.
LONDON, October 16, 2026 — Anies Baswedan received the Freedom of the City of London on Friday at Guildhall, the historic building that has served as a centre of civic government in the City of London for six centuries. At the close of the ceremony, the former Governor of Jakarta (2017–2022) was formally welcomed as a “Citizen of London”, in keeping with a tradition dating back to the 13th century.
Anies was nominated by Alderman Alastair King, during his tenure as Lord Mayor of London, alongside Alderman Gregory Jones KC. The nomination was approved by the Court of Common Council, the highest governing body of the City of London Corporation, in June 2025. The same list of approved recipients included Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett and England rugby captain Maro Itoje.
The Freedom of the City of London is one of the world’s oldest surviving civic traditions. First formally recorded in 1237, the Freedom originally recognised the status of a free citizen entitled to trade in the City of London. Today, the honour is conferred on individuals recognised for their contributions to public life.
Its distinguished recipients include Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Lee Kuan Yew, Stephen Hawking, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, J.K. Rowling, Harry Kane and Ed Sheeran. Most recently, the honour was bestowed on Andrew Lloyd Webber last week.
Reunited with a Lord Mayor Who Once Visited Jakarta
The ceremony was presided over by Alderman Vincent Keaveny, Lord Mayor of London in 2021–2022, who attended in the capacity of Representative Lord Mayor.
The two men were already well acquainted. In May 2022, Keaveny welcomed Anies to Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor. A month later, Anies returned the hospitality by hosting him at Jakarta City Hall.
In his remarks, Anies joked that, with Friday’s ceremony, London was now one visit ahead of Jakarta—and that he intended to even the score.
Alderman Gregory Jones, one of Anies’s nominators, had also recently returned from Jakarta, where he visited as part of the Lord Mayor’s delegation in October 2025. Anies attended the ceremony accompanied by his wife, Fery Farhati.
“A Republic Is a Promise”
In a brief speech delivered in English after the ceremony, Anies used the occasion to reaffirm a principle that has long underpinned his public life in Indonesia: the idea that a republic must honour its promises to its people.
“Throughout my life in my country, I have held that a republic is not a hope. A republic is a promise. Our nation’s founders did not write, ‘we hope’. They wrote, ‘we will’: protect every citizen, educate every child, and deliver prosperity for all. A promise is a debt,” he said.
Anies drew parallels between London and Jakarta, describing them as diverse, multicultural cities facing a common challenge: turning diversity into a source of strength and unity.
“More than 300 languages are spoken in London. In Indonesia, 700 languages are spoken, and many of them come together in Jakarta. We both know that diversity is a gift from God, and unity is the work of human hands.”
He said he hoped to use the honour to create opportunities for more Indonesians to learn, collaborate and build lasting partnerships with London.
“I want to treat this Freedom as a doorway, not a trophy. Nations negotiate; cities learn from one another. Through this doorway, I hope to bring mayors, engineers, teachers and young Indonesians here, and to invite London to Jakarta.
“The friendship between Britain and Indonesia is longstanding. The friendship between our cities, however, is still young—and that is precisely where the greatest room for growth lies.”
Anies concluded his speech with a single Indonesian word at the heart of London.
“In my language, the word for freedom is merdeka. It was the word Indonesians shouted in 1945, and it remains the word we shout when we are at our happiest. Today, the City of London has given an Indonesian one of the words his nation loves most. I will strive to be worthy of it. Merdeka.”
A Track Record London Knows
Anies is no stranger to London. During his tenure as Governor of Jakarta, he served as Vice Chair of C40 Cities, the global network of major cities committed to climate action, alongside London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who chaired the organisation. Anies was the first Indonesian to serve in C40’s senior leadership.
Jakarta’s improvements to its public transport system, drawing in part on lessons from London, helped the Indonesian capital become the first city in Southeast Asia to receive the Sustainable Transport Award in 2021.
Since 2023, Anies has served as a member of the board of the Asia Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Over the past two years, he has frequently been invited to speak at Oxford and Cambridge, as well as to Indonesian diaspora communities in London.
His international profile dates back further. In 2008, he was named among the world’s 100 leading public intellectuals by Foreign Policy magazine. In 2009, he was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
The Freedom of the City of London adds a historic civic distinction to that record. For Anies, however, the honour appears to carry a purpose beyond personal recognition: opening new doors for cooperation between Indonesia and the United Kingdom, particularly through the cities that bring their people together.
(sam)
