Among this year's awards that make me go ‘What?' are HELP University's honorary doctorate of economics to North Korean President Kim Jong-Un for making "untiring efforts for the education of the country and the well-bring of its people"; UiTM's honorary doctorate of law to Sarawak chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud , and Curtin University's honorary doctorate of letters conferred on the prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor for her "dedication to early childhood education".

But the one that bamboozles me the most is the 'Global Inspirational Leadership' awarded to Rosmah at the African-Middle East-Asia Amazons Awards Gala in Dubai on Dec 18 for "her impact on women and children". 

NONE Honorary doctorates awarded to politicians, including their spouses, are driven as much by politics and profits than the life achievements of recipients, which effectively dishonour those whose work have made significant difference to a field of study or whose moral authority have held sway over the fight of equality and human dignity.

One of such recipients is the late Nelson Mandela. My research shows Mandela had received nine honorary doctorates and more than 200 peace awards in his lifetime. He is the benchmark of authenticity by which recipients of honorary doctorates and ‘peace awards' should be judged.

Mandela was awarded his first honorary doctorate by the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in November 1990, nine months after his release from 27 years in prison.

At the award ceremony, students at UWC, which was set up for "coloured" students, were reminded of Mandela's statement at the Rivonia trial between 1963-64 when he was prosecuted for fighting against white minority rule.

He said then: "During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal, which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die for."

Changed the destiny of a nation

In 1999, five years after he became South Africa's first black president, Mandela was awarded an honorary doctorate by Leiden University of n the Netherlands. At the award ceremony , the university's rector said: "Mr President, you have set such an example by changing almost single-handedly the destiny of an entire nation in a situation in which violence would have destroyed the country.

"Your patience, resilience, faith, tolerance, wisdom and most of all, your loyalty to the principle of reason are a great example. Your war was above all a war of ideas. Your strategy was resolution. Your shield was trust. Your sword was enlightenment. It is our university's mission to generate ideas that lead to freedom. We honour you as a true defender of freedom."

long walk to freedom nelson mandela movie 1 Today, Mandela's life as a statesman is remembered in peace awards and the peace foundation named after him. Shaped by circumstances of his time,he embodied all that are noble - sacrifice and privation, magnanimity and humility - traits and convictionswe can't see in Malaysia, where conniving politicians far outnumber statesmen.

Instead, what we see are institutional efforts to construct a legacy for politicians still living, which are ridiculously self-aggrandising when read in the context of Mandela's sacrifice for his country and people.

We read of an oxymoronic Mahathir Global Peace Foundation and the Mahathir Global Peace Award instituted by one of Mahathir's closest associates, Lim Kok Wing , whose namesake Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) has planted campuses in the African continent.

Machiavellian streak

The Mahathir foundation, "formed to promote worldwide peace efforts", honoured Mandela with the inaugural Lifetime Campaigner for Peace and Freedom award in August, which was received on his behalf by South African President Jacob Zuma, who in turn was awarded an "honorary doctorate for humanity" from LUCT.

Mahathir was also awarded the ‘Lifetime Campaigner for Global Peace' title, which Lim said was "more than a recognition for peace efforts" but a "yardstick of which will identify the role models for youth".

Mahathir's Machiavellian streak and claim to power by highlighting differences and fuelling communal antagonism, rather than appealing to the good of humanity, is certainly no role model for Malaysian youth.

NONE Next is Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who was honoured with a Global Peace Award by the Washington-based Global Peace Foundation (GPF) at a GPF peace convention in Kuala Lumpur on Dec, 8 where I was among the participants.

"What's that all about?" an American colleague asked at the gala dinner when the PM arrived, fashionably late by 20 minutes, with Rosmah and her entourage amidst much fanfare. Najib accepted the award and left 10 minutes later for another event, without the obligatory speech.

"Isn't he the one promoting the special rights of the Malays and Islam?" the American colleague asked, alluding to NST's full-page report on the PM's speech at the Umno general assembly.

While my Malaysian compatriots and I raised our eyebrows in amusing disbelief, the foreign delegates' curiosity were piqued by the irony of the moment - the prime minister being recognised on stage for "his efforts in building cross-cultural relationships, for pioneering the Global Movement of Moderates" when, in the same week, he had explicitly declared his race and religion agenda at the Umno assembly.

It was easy explaining to foreign delegates the inextricable links between race, religion and politics in Malaysia when they had read the coverage of Umno politics in the mainstream papers delivered daily to their hotel rooms.

It was less easy to address this question: Do you think the PM's worthy of the Global Peace Award? Especially when the PM's public statements are contextualised to the convention's theme of ‘unity in diversity', and his ethnocentric reaction to the Allah issue contrasts against GPF's philosophy of ‘One family under God'.

Mandela had left us a legacy of peaceful resistance against racism and inequality. He rebuilt for South Africa and its people the rule of law, free and fair elections, freedom of speech and reconciliation in a divided nation.

What legacy will Mahathir and Najib leave? What examples will they set for succeeding generations? They will be judged by their capacity to demonstrate the moral authority like Mandela's, and put to practice his political philosophy, of which they have recently paid high tributes.

ERIC LOO left Malaysia for Australia in 1986 to work as a journalist. He currently lectures at University of Wollongong, Australia, and serves on the advisory committee of UPI Next , a journalism education and training platform run by United Press International. He edits a refereed journal Asia Pacific Media Educator and conducts journalism training workshops in Asia. Email: eloo@uow.edu.au