News24 | Conferred with honorary doctorate, Ramaphosa praises Malaysia for stance on Gaza

• President Cyril Ramaphosa was conferred with an honorary doctorate in Malaysia.
• Ramaphosa spoke in great detail about South Africa’s shared history with Malaysia.
• He heaped praise on Malaysia’s position on the Israel and Palestine issue.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has heaped praise on Malaysia for taking a “principled” position on the Gaza situation.

Ramaphosa gave a public lecture at the Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he was conferred with an honorary doctorate in international relations.

According to the Presidency, Ramaphosa was conferred the honorary doctorate for his “outstanding leadership, contributions to international relations, and dedication to global development”.

He said Pretoria seeks to build a more peaceful world.

“We pay tribute to the principled solidarity of the people of Malaysia with the oppressed and suffering Palestinian people.

“After decades of dispossession, repression, and oppression, the people of Gaza are facing genocide.

“We cannot but be moved to action by the slaughter of tens of thousands of civilians, forced displacement, deliberate starvation, and the destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, and other essential infrastructure,” he said.

He said he welcomed the ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, which includes the return of the hostages, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and the resumption of humanitarian assistance.

But Pretoria is “concerned” that continued assaults on Gaza and the West Bank are undermining the ceasefire.

He said the international community must strive to ensure that the peace deal provides a path towards Palestinian statehood and self-determination.

Ramaphosa said global leaders shouldn’t tire in their pursuit to realise a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, with a Palestinian state existing alongside and in peace with the state of Israel.

He said:

He described this as the “solidarity of conscience”.

“Our shared history has taught us that through solidarity we can escape the ghosts of the past, overcome the most strident of obstacles and help reshape our common destiny.”

He said both countries continue to call for reform of the United Nations Security Council “so that it reflects the realities of the 21st century, and so that it may fulfil its original purpose as a guarantor of international peace and security”.

Ramaphosa said while the honorary doctorate is conferred in his name as 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.

“We believe that this honorary doctorate is conferred as an affirmation of those values we have always lived by.”

He said the conferment affirms the “bonds of friendship and kinship” between Malaysia and South Africa, as well as the values that we share.

“This is an honour dedicated to our shared pursuit of knowledge and our shared desire to advance humanity through learning and understanding.

“It is an honour that I dedicate to people struggling against discrimination, human rights abuses, poverty, and inequality, wherever they may be,” Ramaphosa said.

He spoke in great detail about South Africa and the Malay people’s shared history, which 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, prime minister Mahathir Mohamed was one of the first foreign leaders he met with.

“As a liberation movement preparing to govern, the African National Congress sought to learn from Malaysia’s economic success story,” Ramaphosa said.

South Africa is currently Malaysia’s largest trading partner in Africa.

“Our economic relationship holds immense potential.

“As the chairs of ASEAN and G20 respectively, Malaysia and South Africa are advancing similar visions and similar agendas,” Ramaphosa said.

Social justice

He added: “Beyond our shared history, beyond our bilateral economic relationship, Malaysia and South Africa stand shoulder to shoulder on the global stage in our mutual quest for social justice for people everywhere.

“Our two nations have stood consistently for the reform of the institutions of global governance so that the needs of the Global South are reflected.”

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He said both countries need to stand together in combating climate change, mitigate its effects and pursue an inclusive transition to low-carbon economies.

 Speaking at an ASEAN summit on Saturday, Ramaphosa called for global cooperation – which includes financial institutions and the private sector – to scale up post-disaster reconstruction in the event of floods or other disasters.

During his conferment, Ramaphosa sought to drive the point again.

“We know we can continue to count on Malaysia’s support in support of the four key priorities of our G20 Presidency.

“Our first priority is to strengthen disaster resilience and response.

“Our second priority is to ensure debt sustainability for developing economies,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa has concluded his three-nation visit to South East Asia and will now head to Switzerland for a state visit from 29 to 30 October.