KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been awarded an honorary doctorate of business management by the Asia School of Business (ASB).

ASB president and dean Professor Charles Fine presented the award to the Prime Minister during the convocation of the Masters of Business Administration class of 2019 here Sunday (April 14).

During his commencement speech, Dr Mahathir advised the graduating class to continue to pursue knowledge with the right moral values at heart.

“Knowledge is powerful but without the right values, it will become futile,” Dr Mahathir said.

He said there are many instances where smart individuals with the wrong intentions create disruptions when they fail to differentiate between what is good and bad.

“The pursuit of knowledge should be a lifelong endeavour and more importantly, complemented with the right values and character,” Dr Mahathir said.

“Work humbly and generously. Be open to new ideas as well as the possibility of being wrong.

“Be guided by right moral values and while continuing to pursue learning, we also need to learn how to be a better human being.

“If we truly aspire to see society progress and prosper, it is incumbent upon us that each of us use the skills and knowledge we have acquired not just for personal gain but collectively contribute to the betterment of society,” he said.

Also present at the ceremony was former Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz who is co-chair of ASB’s board of governors.

A collaboration between Bank Negara Malaysia and MIT Sloan School of Management in the United States, the ASB was established in 2015.