Mandela’s folly

A supreme irony of contemporary Sri Lankan history is the attempt made by leaders of South Africa such as Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu to provide an international base for the Sri Lankan terrorist organisation, the LTTE, while countries like the United States and Canada have cracked down on this organisation and even Britain is now moving against them.

The post -World War II era was considered an era of decolonisation in which Sri Lanka, one of the few nations to gain Independence soon after the war, was at the forefront with other Third World nations demanding that the colonial empires be disbanded and the people of these countries be given their freedom. South Africa immediately after the last World War had the white supremacist regime enforcing its abhorrent Apartheid polices that treated the black people as a sub-human species. Sri Lankan leaders, particularly the SLFP leader Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike, was one of the leading personalities of the Non Aligned Movement that made the West accept that Aparthied was indeed the dirtiest of words in the international political lexicon. Every Non Aligned Summit while having special resolutions on decolonisation never failed to focus on the plight of the South African people and their leaders who were being imprisoned by the white supremacists.

One of the few successes of the Non Aligned Movement, it could be said, was the rapid decolonisation process it brought about particularly in Africa. Sri Lanka today can point out to the many passionate pleas made on behalf of South African leaders in world fora such as the United Nations, Non Aligned Summits and meetings of the Commonwealth. In contrast silver tongued Sri Lankan politicians and diplomats were never at a loss for words to bash the former colonial powers such as Britain and France and of course the neocolonialist superpower the United States accusing them of giving covert support to Apartheid rulers of South Africa.

The immorality of South Africa attempting to support the LTTE goes beyond the interests of Sri Lanka. The Nehrus of India it will be recalled fought against apartheid South Africa as no other nation did. Jawarhalal Nehru led the chorus of strident anti-apartheid voices for many years and he was succeeded by his daughter Indira and later grandson Rajiv. South African leaders cannot feign ignorance about the LTTE being the assassin of Rajiv Gandhi. They cannot ignore the fact that the LTTE is a proscribed organisation in India and the LTTE leaders and his cohorts are wanted in India for the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. A special correspondent, writing in this page today suggests that Nelson Mandela and his colleagues must be in their dotage to support an international terrorist organisation which has done irreparable damage to two countries which were consistent in their support for the South African people to gain their freedom.

Some political observers point out that South Africa has a large population of Tamils who had migrated or were taken there by the British during colonial times and that the present day leaders would be under pressure from this community to support the LTTE. Undoubtedly the racists LTTE would have used the ties of blood to drum up support for them but as aganist this is the hallmark of South African leaders of today: their principled politics. Nelson Mandela and his colleagues won the admiration of the entire world when they were magnanimous enough to bypass the crimes committed on their black people by the white South African regimes and forge a multi-racial regime. Mandela’s achievement could be compared even greater than that of Mahatma Gandhi because a new South Africa nation was born sans the bloodshed unlike that of India where Independence and partition led to the death of thousands of innocent people. Thus, it is inconceivable that leaders of that calibre could have descended to accept the levels of bestiality ever so often demonstrated by the LTTE.

Even before the end of Apartheid, there were regular reports of South African leaders such as Bishop Desmond Tutu making pro-LTTE pronouncements. Bishop Tutu is known for his histrionics and the LTTE propagandists may have found it easy to win him over. But if Mandela too has been swayed then it is a challenge to both President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Foreign Minister Kadirgamar to launch a diplomatic offensive to convince these South African leaders of their folly.