From time to time you are asked, "If you could have 6 people over for dinner, who would you want?". I have always included Nelson Mandela in that list. I believe he is a great example of the truth that difficulties break some but make others. The world has lost an inspirational man.

.

Mandela was a Methodist. He told the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1999. “Without the church, without religious institutions, I would never have been here today.” In speaking of his 27 years in prison under apartheid, he declared: “Religion was one of the motivating factors in everything we did”.

Margaret Thatcher denounced him as a terrorist, and former US vice-president Dick Cheney voted against a Congress motion calling for his release from Robben Island prison. But as the Anglican Archbishop, Desmond Tutu observed: “To virtually everyone else, he was held in the highest possible regard, almost as a paragon of virtue and impeccable integrity – indeed, almost of sanctity. The ANC and the anti-apartheid movement were able to use his extraordinary moral stature to galvanise support for their efforts to bring about fundamental change in South Africa and as a rallying point for their call to release all political prisoners”.

Nevertheless, Mandela was not lacking in critics and political opponents. Most of the criticisms directed against him were probably true. He never wavered from his singular objective of vanquishing apartheid and reconciling the multi-cultural peoples of the South African nation. Everything he said and did contributed to the attainment of that sole objective.

He seems to have considered that the ends justified the means. He consistently denied being a communist, for example, despite evidence that he was a member of the communist party early in his career. If he was, it was obviously not because he believed in communism but more likely to gain a useful ally to help further his cause.

His victory over apartheid and rise to power were accompanied by an unprecedented reign of tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation – in striking contrast to the far less admirable means he had employed in order to achieve his final objective.

I posted this “opinion” on the following thread a couple of days ago. “Onthebeach” suggested I post it here for comment:

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=15789#273502

.

Indi, I know from personal experience where Australian conservatives stood when it came to apartheid, and their support for the oppressive South African regime in the 60's and 70's. That support was clearly demonstrated by their backing of a 'white only' rugby tour at the time. The chooks came home to roost for on of the conservatives favorite sons, John Howard, because of his past support of the apartheid regime he failed in 2010 to gain any "black" votes to become president of the International Cricket Council. Where Abbott stood in the past on the very question of apartheid, we'll never know, but I doubt he would have been in the front lines of protest.

Paul1405,

<<Indi, I know from personal experience where Australian conservatives stood when it came to apartheid yada yada yada ...>>

Stop talking through your hat. It's you "progressives" who are the biggest proponents of apartheid: remember separate aboriginal lands, remember special racial clauses in the constitution, remember separate stands of welfare determined by race

Paul you will understand.
Others will not or will pretend they do not.
White South Africans, who come from the right of far right.
Find a home sometimes a parliamentary seat.
On the Liberal side of the house.

<<White South Africans, who come from the right of far right.
Find a home sometimes a parliamentary seat.
On the Liberal side of the house>>

And Muslim extremists often get a glowing reference from the ALP head honcho of the day

"The Morris Iemma... wrote glowing references for Mamadou Ndaw, who turned out to be intimately connected to the core of local Muslim extremists whose homes were raided by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. Ndaw is the brother-in-law of Khaled Sharrouf, who was arrested in the ASIO counter-terrorism sweep.

Ndaw is also a close friend of Willie Brigitte, now in jail in France on terrorism charges. Ndaw had other connections in ASIO's files.""

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/trouble-in-the-premiers-patch/2006/01/13/1137118970548.html?page=3

And usually thereafter join the ALP as the party --after the Greens--most likely to let more of the brothers settle in OZ.