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The Speaker: Thank you, Honourable Member.
The Chair will recognise the
Honourable Member from Pembroke [Central], MP Walton Brown.
You have the floor.
Mr. Walton Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, over the past 25 years,
there have only been three great leaders whom I wanted to meet, to sit down and
reason with. One is Fidel Castro, whom I have met and reasoned with. The second
is Aung San Suu Kyi, whom I have not yet met. And the third is Nelson Mandela,
whom now I will never meet.
Mr. Mandela was a great leader who
embodied strong conviction, courage and vision. He had a vision for his
country, for his people, and he fought for it. Mr. Speaker, in the
post-apartheid South Africa,
there were many people who would jump on what I would call the Mandela
bandwagon. And no doubt, in the hours
and days ahead, you will hear many people wax eloquently about the life of this
great man. But you know, Mr. Speaker, the real test of all those who wish to
wax eloquently on Mr. Mandela is, where were you during the dark period of
apartheid? Where were you when the struggle most needed support? And that is
the Mandela I remember.
Apartheid South Africa, Mr. Speaker, was a
horror of a place to be in. Yes, we have seen it documented in movies. But talk
to people who lived there, who lived under it, who were subjected to torture,
brutality (like Steve Biko), who were blown up by bombs by the South African
government—Ruth First, for example.
Mr. Speaker, if you want to assess
the life of Mandela, we need to assess his life in its totality. He tells us
that there are times and there are circumstances when violence is the only
option. It is sad to say, but the African National Congress formed in (I
believe) 1912 fought a long battle for justice. There was a recalcitrant
government. The international community refused to help. Our colonial administrators,
the United Kingdom Government, refused to back a ban on sanctions against South Africa.
[Inaudible interjections]
Mr. Walton Brown: I do not want to speak about the Monarchy,
Mr. Speaker. Standing Orders do not allow me to. But you can read into my
message that at a time when South Africa needed help, many people were not
around.
Nelson Mandela was termed a terrorist because he wanted freedom for his
people. But you had a legal framework that denied people the right to vote,
denied them opportunities for work, on the backdrop of a brutal system.
Bermuda
played a part in facilitating apartheid. Let us not forget. The Anglo-American
Corporation had its head office in Bermuda.
[Gavel]
Mr. Walton Brown: Let us not forget. I was here, out on Pitts
Bay Road, when we protested the presence of Anglo-American. The Government
refused to act. We had a Member who served in this legislature who served on
the board of Anglo-American. So, let us not forget, Mr. Speaker.
He was a great man. But he needs to
be understood and accepted for the totality. Violence was an approach that was
needed at one point. And when the government decided to listen and negotiate,
then peace became the option as well. Great leaders respond to circumstances.
That is what Nelson Mandela did.
Mr. Speaker, most of the decisions
undertaken by Mr. Mandela, I embrace fully. One decision that troubled me was
that he allowed for those perpetrators of some of the most horrific crimes
against black South Africans to go unchallenged. The Truth and Reconciliation
Commission did play an important role in bringing South Africa forward, but it
allowed murderers to go free. And I still have trouble with that. I understand
his reason for doing it; I still have trouble with it.
I have trouble also with what I call
the hypocrisy of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. Nelson Mandela was the man
that brought about peace. Yet, in its need to appear even-handed, the committee
granted the peace prize to the man who stood over apartheid for decades, former
President de Klerk. That I could not accept, either.
In closing, Nelson Mandela set a very high standard for public service,
for dedication and commitment. He exemplified excellent leadership. The
standard he set will be his legacy. And all of us who seek to hold public
office, all of us who do hold public office, if we are to respect the legacy of
Mandela we should ensure that our policies, our language and our actions
reflect his commitment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
[Desk thumping]
