Ramaphosa said while the doctorate is conferred in the name of an individual, the honour recognises the 'achievements of an entire nation.'
The Universiti Malaya has conferred an Honorary Doctorate in International Relations on President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa is currently in Malaysia as part of his Southeast Asia working visit, which includes participation in the Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Honorary doctorate
The Presidency said Ramaphosa’s visits will advance South Africa’s bilateral relations with the host countries, particularly in trade and investment.
The Universiti Malaya bestowed the honour on Ramaphosa in recognition of his significant contributions to global diplomacy, international negotiation, and his expertise as a skilled consultant and strategic leader.
It was presented by the Chancellor, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, during a special convocation ceremony held at the university’s Dewan Tunku Canselor.
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Ramaphosa is the second South African leader, after Nelson Mandela in 1990, to be conferred the honorary degree.
‘Achievement of a nation’
The president said while the doctorate is conferred in the name of an individual, the 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.
“This honorary doctorate in international relations is being conferred at a time of great turbulence and uncertainty in the world. The principles and values that we have sought to advance in global affairs – such as equality, justice, diversity and sustainability – are being challenged by injustice and inequity, unilateralism, protectionism, disunity, unsustainability, exploitation and environmental degradation,” Ramaphosa said.
Relationships
Ramaphosa added that Pretoria believes that the honorary doctorate is conferred as an “affirmation of those values we have always lived by.
Ramaphosa paid tribute to the rulers and peoples of the Malay-Indonesian archipelago, whose exiles, workers and scholars helped build the South African nation.
Malay-Indonesian
He said the earliest recorded arrivals of people from the Malay-Indonesian world at the southernmost tip of Africa were mostly enslaved people.
“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.
“The mosques and madrasas of the community that came to be regarded as the Cape Malays gave spiritual instruction and formal education at a time when most local churches would not let enslaved people even enter the door,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa thanked Malaysia for standing with South Africa in “our quest for dignity and justice.”
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