The lesson a great man taught
http://yoursdp.org/news/the_lesson_a_great_man_taught/2013-12-11-5748
Every now and then, history gifts humanity someone who embodies all that we aspire to but did not have the courage to pursue. Nelson Mandela was just such a man. Together with the rest of world, the SDP mourns the passing away of this truly great man.
Universally beloved, Mandela's legacy is not that he possessed riches or power, for he craved neither. Rather he leaves behind a vision of peace brought about by compassion and the unwavering love for justice. He cherished freedom, fought for democracy and celebrated human rights.
South Africans are, indeed, a fortunate people to have had such a leader who put them, not profits, first. Even when Western corporations enticed him with wealth in exchange for his people's freedom, Mandela had the wisdom to choose to put in place first a sound foundation of democratic practices for his country.
This is a lesson that Mandela has taught the world – that money cannot buy what is right and just. Alas, even as our Government leaders sing the praises of South Africa's first democratically elected president, they have not heeded the lesson that another great leader, Martin Luther King, Jr, had taught: "True peace is not merely the absence of violence but the presence of justice.”
With the Internal Security Act still in place, our country cannot be blessed with true peace. Just as Mandela was imprisoned for nearly three decades, we have Singaporeans who have been just as harshly incarcerated. The tragic difference is that while Mandela has been exonerated, justice has not yet been won in Singapore.
Perhaps the wrong will be eventually made right. Perhaps we may require a truth and reconciliation commission of our own to close the chapter on the abuse of our people. Until then, Mandela's immortal words will inspire all freedom-loving Singaporeans to work even harder for true peace.
