Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesian founding father Soekarno was a great leader as he liberated the country having various tribes, which inhabit over 17 thousand islands, stated former Malaysian prime minister for the 1981-2003 period Tun Mahathir bin Mohamad.
"Soekarno's great achievement was sensitizing hundreds of millions of people from different tribes and regions to the fact that they are part of one nation of Indonesia," Mahathir noted in his speech while receiving the Star of Soekarno award at the Borobudur Hotel on Sunday evening.
Mahathir affirmed that Soekarno was a great leader with a sense of immense love for his people and the country of Indonesia.
He expressed his deepest admiration for Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta who had successfully laid down the foundation of a strong unified Indonesia, and even today, the country remains a united and integrated nation.
Further, Mahathir remarked that Bung Karno's struggle also proved to be a major influence on Malaysia's efforts to fight and gain independence on August 31, 1957.
Mahathir and three other world leaders --- North Korean President Kim Jong Un, Venezuelan President for the 1999-2003 period Hugo Rafael Chaves Frias, and Cuban President for the 1976-2008 period Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz --- were in Jakarta to receive the Star of Soekarno Award for their contributions and role in championing for justice, freedom, humanity, and democracy.
"The thoughts and actions of these world leaders bear resemblance to those of Sukarno. Sukarno always strove to improve cooperation between nations in the world based on the principles of humanity, justice, freedom, and democracy," Chairman of the Soekarno Education Foundation Rachmawati Soekarnoputri affirmed here on Sunday night.
According to Rachmawati, Sukarno's thoughts related to anti-imperialism and colonialism are still relevant for Indonesia and the world.
Rachmawati, who is Sukarno's daughter, pointed out that war in the present times is no longer a physical confrontation between two countries but has turned into a proxy war.
Proxy war is a battle that utilizes a third party in the war between two countries. This is a non-military or asymmetric warfare, which involves natural resources, food, and the economy. (WDY)
