The world has lost one of the greatest figures of the 20th century in
the passing of Nelson Mandela, iconic revolutionary who ended apartheid
in South Africa. Africa’s last great statesman, Mandela presided over a
largely peaceful political transition and stepped aside after only one
term in power. He was the first black President of South Africa
and under his aegis, the country dismantled the institutional legacy of
apartheid and racism. He remained the country’s moral compass in the
silence of his twilight in much the same way he served as the liberation
movement’s rallying cry through 27 years of incarceration. He appointed
a Truth and Reconciliation Commission that might have fallen short of
conclusively addressing apartheid-era atrocities but saved the nation
from a descent into bloodshed. The former President is being mourned
across the nation. His loss is most acutely felt at the headquarters of
the African National Congress (ANC), the party he joined in 1943 and
subsequently led to electoral victory in 1994. In a manner reminiscent
of the Indian National Congress (INC) in post-Independence India, the
ANC has long used Mandela’s name and liberation credentials to cement
its position as the natural party of government. The prolonged and often
acrimonious squabbling between the government, his heirs and sections
of the party about his hospitalisation, burial site and memorial
foundation underscored his continued importance to the ANC’s project of
political hegemony long after his retirement.
Mandela’s death
comes at the time when the ANC is preparing for an election that may
see its share of the vote fall below 60 per cent, illustrating creeping
voter discontent. Moving forward, the ANC’s greatest challenge is likely
to be the “born frees”, a generation of South Africans born after the
collapse of the hated colonial regime, who are less susceptible to the
party’s emotive message of liberation. For these young citizens, the
most poignant reminder of oppression is the one that Mr. Mandela did not
address — land, natural resources and the ownership of Africa’s richest
economy. Rather than democratising the economy, Mr. Mandela’s
successors have used so-called black empowerment programmes to enrich a
tiny elite, creating space for a mass politics as espoused by Julius
Malema, a firebrand former ANC Youth League leader who has launched his
own political front, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). Mr. Malema is
himself facing charges of corruption, suggesting the EFF may not be the
ANC’s most potent foe. Statesmen are forged and ultimately limited by
the circumstances of their struggles. By leading his country out of the
horrors of racial segregation, Mr. Mandela has won his place in history.
His successors must now seek their own.
Keywords: Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid icon, Mandela demise, Mandela death, former South African President, Mandela obituary
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Dear M.SOMASEKHAR PRASAD, thank you for your wonderful comment on Nelson Mandela.
We cannot compare Mandela with Gandhi because Gandhi failed to bring
peaceful transition as well as to keep nation united post independence.
NELSON MANDELA
Sir,
In the death of African leader,Nelson Mandela,the world has lost
a great leader known for his sense of commitment for the freedom and
welfare of 'all' people in South Africa.Like Martin Luther King in
America,Mandela fought tooth and nail against 'apartheid' in his home
country.In fact Mandela carried on the fight where Luther King left it
for the equality and freedom of black people.Both of them drew
inspiration for their selfless fight from the life and work of
Gandhi.India was of the few countries which lent unconditional support
to Mandela in his fight against 'apartheid'.India also had the
temerity and game enough to even snap all sports ties with South
Africa and led other countries to follow the suit.Like Tennyson's
Ulysses, Mandela longed for'to strive, to seek,to find and not to
yield',in spite of many troubles and tears in his personal life.It is
only natural that Mandela was one of the few leaders who won about
250 honours including the Nobel Peace Prize. About man Shakespeare
says that' What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason,how
infinite in faculties, in form and moving,how express and admirable in
action, how like an angel in apprehension,how like a god!' .I think
Mandela was one of the few men who deserving fit into this quote of
the Bard. And Mandel,RIP.
<
Mandela lived a full life, made of immense sacrifice, personal
tragedies, hope for the nation and his long walk to freedom has come
to an end. He is no ordinary mortal and GOD sends such angels to earth
once in a century. If it was Gandhi for 19th century, it was Mandela
for 20th century.
Gandhi was not surrounded by many political components, but only a
feeble voices here and there. But Mandela had to fight alone and the
way he came out of solitary confinement for 27 years, in one piece,is
beyond ordinary mortals.
South Africa continues to face a big challenge in these times. It was
not as if, hatred and distrust erased completely but he was the one
single force , which managed to keep it under control.
Gandhi rightly said that poverty is the worst form of violence and if
the status of the so called majority in the rainbow nation is anything
to go by, it requires great leadership from ANC to keep the party and
country together.
“What I will remember most about Mr. Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul, and spirit could not be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars, or the burden of hate and revenge. He taught us forgiveness on a grand scale.â€
Mohamed Ali
The messiah who carried destiny on his shoulders used his life for the growth and strength of his character. To usher in an era not through retribution but with reconciliation needs moral courage and that is what made him great as he used that courage to rebuild his nation.Democracy according to him should be rooted in tolerance.
His wisdom taught him that reconciliation should be accompanied with justice and peace with forgiveness.
Unpretentiousness was the essence of his personality and along with his humor and optimistic attitude he took on the challenges of a shattered nation beleaguered by inequality and poverty.
He used his power for transformation without succumbing to the trappings of control and vainglory.