JAKARTA, Sept 28 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was awarded ‘The Star of Soekarno’ by the Soekarno Education Foundation (YPS) for his contribution in championing human rights.

He received the award from YPS founder Rachmawati Soekarnoputri at a ceremony here last night.

In his speech, Dr Mahathir said despite not having met Soekarno, the first Indonesian president was his idol during his student days.

As such, he said, the award was very meaningful as it allowed him to possess a memento that was linked to Soekarno’s spirit.

Previous recipients of the award include former Cuban president Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, former president of Venezuela Hugo Rafael Chavez and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. — Bernama