Remembering Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013)

Nelson Mandela's death brought back memory of our trip to South Africa. His life was summed up by what Muhamad Ali says about this man:

 

Quote

"His was a life filled with purpose and hope; hope for himself, his country and the world. He inspired others to reach for what appeared to be impossible and moved them to break through the barriers that held them hostage mentally, physically, socially and economically.

 

He made us realise, we are our brothers' keeper and that our brothers come in all colours. What I will remember most about Mr. Nelson 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. He was a spirit born free, destined to soar above the rainbows. Today, his spirit is soaring in heavens. He is now forever free". Unquote.

On racial discrimination, Nelson Mandela once said, "We must ensure that colour, race and gender become only a God-given gift to each one of us and not an indelible mark or attribute that accords a special status to any"

 

Indeed, our government of the day who so often in the past spoke highly of Nelson Mandela should truly adopt what this man advocated about genuine acceptance and tolerance of all people in land.

 

Sadly, when some far right individuals in the ruling party who only recently promoted the idea of "1 Malayu" instead of "1 Malaysia", "Malaya is the land for the Malays", there was dead silence on the part of the top leadership on such intolerance and exclusivity.

 

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We were unable to see Nelson Mandela in person in South Africa, but we were able to have a glimpse of an image of him at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in Cape town on 27 May 2013.