Malaysian university confers Honorary Doctorate on President Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa has been conferred an Honorary Doctorate in International Relations by the University of Malay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The honour was bestowed some 35 years after the same institution conferred an Honorary Doctorate on Former President Nelson Mandela.
Delivering a public lecture during the conferment ceremony, President Ramaphosa said while the honour is conferred in the name of an individual, it is a recognition of South Africa’s evolution from a painful history of subjugation of one on another and racial segregation and discrimination to a democratic dispensation.
“[This] honour recognises the achievements of an entire nation. It recognises the struggle of the South African people for democracy and freedom.
“It acknowledges the progress we have made in building a new society founded on the principles of equality, justice and solidarity,” President Ramaphosa said on Monday.
Solidarity
The President reflected on the history between South Africa and Malaysia which spans back to the Southeast Asian slave trade which brought the peoples from Southeast Asian nations – including Malaysia – to the Cape as labourers for Dutch colonialists.
“Among these early arrivals were also political exiles, skilled artisans and religious scholars. Yet even amidst the degradation and dehumanisation of slavery, the arrival of these people was transformational.
“This early community carried Islam to South Africa, and the Holy Quran’s message of equality brought comfort to the dispossessed peoples of South Africa,” he said.
Malaysia also stood in solidarity with South African freedom fighters in the struggle against apartheid.
“It is a source of great pride to us that the ties between Malaysia and South Africa have endured. Since the time of the early Cape Malay community, through the anti-apartheid struggle and into our democracy, our destinies have been intertwined.
“Our shared history may not have been of our making, but it has evolved into a principled solidarity. When we were liberated from apartheid bondage, Malaysia was at our side. When President Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, [then] Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed was one of the first foreign leaders he met with,” he said.
President Ramaphosa emphasised the importance of this shared history – touting it as a lesson on how through solidarity, “we can escape the ghosts of the past, overcome the most strident of obstacles and help reshape our common destiny”.
“As we look to the future, it is essential that we continue to strengthen the historical linkages that exist between us.
“We should celebrate the rich history that binds Malaysia and South Africa. It is important for us to honour the struggles and sacrifices made by our forebears and strive to build a future rooted in collaboration and mutual respect,” the President noted.
He called for the deepening of friendship between South Africa and Malaysia.
“I receive this honorary doctorate with gratitude from the Universiti Malaya, an institution with a rich and proud history. I accept it on behalf of your brothers and sisters in South Africa, who owe the people of Malaysia and its noble leaders a great debt. Thank you for standing with us in our quest for dignity and justice.
“As we enter a new and even greater era of South-South cooperation, we carry with us the spirit of the early Cape Malay community whose values are the bedrock of the free South Africa we have today.
“Let there be friendship. Let there be peace. Salaam Alaikum,” President Ramaphosa concluded.