A special ceremony to confer an Honorary Doctorate in Political Science on Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia was held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on 27 January 2012. The event was organised by Naresuan University in close collaboration with the Embassy of Malaysia in Bangkok.
Tun Dr. Mahathir was the first Malaysian to be awarded such a prestigious award by Naresuan University. In his acceptance speech, Tun Dr. Mahathir underscored the importance of education in nation building process and in empowering the people to face the challenges of the future. ASEANisation and internationalisation processes are pivotal for higher education institutions in this region in the wake of the coming into force the ASEAN Community in 2015 which requires necessary adjustments to be made to the syllabus so that the graduates produced could be described as innovative and productive.
The historical event was well attended by representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of the diplomatic corps, members of the local media and few invited guests from the Muslim community. Needless to say, Naresuan University was represented by its University Council members who came in full force to support the event.
Malawakil Bangkok
28 January 2012
