Mulroney showed true leadership in standing up for Nelson Mandela when few others dared to
Brian
Mulroney, who has just been named a member of the Order of Companions
of O.R. Tambo, South Africa's highest honour for foreign citizens, is
not on most Canadians' lists of outstanding prime ministers. However, he
showed real leadership in pushing hard for the release of Nelson
Mandela from prison in South Africa.
That release, after 27 years of imprisonment, was the first giant step towards South Africa eventually leaving apartheid behind and doing so peacefully. After Mandela became the president of South Africa, he set up a truth and reconciliation commission that was without precedent. That commission served as a model for Canada's own TRC, which under the leadership of Justice Murray Sinclair took an unvarnished look at the tattered relationship between Canada's First Nations people and the rest of society, and specifically the relationships between First Nations and generations of federal and provincial governments, and the churches that ran residential schools.
Mandela's leadership, and in particular his ongoing emphasis on turning the other cheek, has had a great deal to do with South Africa becoming one of the leading countries in Africa. There are challenges that persist, but they can be managed.
Mulroney outlines some of the details of why he chose to go to bat for Mandela (often against the wishes of some of Canada's closest allies) and fight against apartheid in this article in The Globe and Mail.
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We were in Sierra Leone when Nelson Mandela died two years ago. It was a truly awesome experience to be in Africa at that time.
We were able to watch part of his funeral on a TV set in a small restaurant in Kabala, Sierra Leone, in a region where there is no electricity, but TV can be watched by powering up generators and using satellites. We discovered in both Sierra Leone and Ghana that ordinary Africans are great admirers of Mandela.
This photo taken at Tokeh beach on Sierra Leone's beautiful Atlantic coastline just a few days after the funeral shows that regard.
Mulroney's actions in going against the prevailing wisdom over South Africa at the time demonstrate that leadership does mean something. It isn't shown very often in the political realm, as most of what is said and done is driven by relentless polling and spin.
Leadership matters. It has been shown in the past century by a few - notably Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Pope John Paul II and, of course, by Nelson Mandela.
That release, after 27 years of imprisonment, was the first giant step towards South Africa eventually leaving apartheid behind and doing so peacefully. After Mandela became the president of South Africa, he set up a truth and reconciliation commission that was without precedent. That commission served as a model for Canada's own TRC, which under the leadership of Justice Murray Sinclair took an unvarnished look at the tattered relationship between Canada's First Nations people and the rest of society, and specifically the relationships between First Nations and generations of federal and provincial governments, and the churches that ran residential schools.
Mandela's leadership, and in particular his ongoing emphasis on turning the other cheek, has had a great deal to do with South Africa becoming one of the leading countries in Africa. There are challenges that persist, but they can be managed.
Mulroney outlines some of the details of why he chose to go to bat for Mandela (often against the wishes of some of Canada's closest allies) and fight against apartheid in this article in The Globe and Mail.
http://
We were in Sierra Leone when Nelson Mandela died two years ago. It was a truly awesome experience to be in Africa at that time.
We were able to watch part of his funeral on a TV set in a small restaurant in Kabala, Sierra Leone, in a region where there is no electricity, but TV can be watched by powering up generators and using satellites. We discovered in both Sierra Leone and Ghana that ordinary Africans are great admirers of Mandela.
This photo taken at Tokeh beach on Sierra Leone's beautiful Atlantic coastline just a few days after the funeral shows that regard.
Frank Bucholtz photo
A fishing boat on the beach in Tokeh, Sierra Leone pays tribute to Nelson Mandela, a hero to many Africans. Boats often bear the names of sports teams, favoured individuals or deities. The boat also has the logo of the Chelsea Football Club of London painted on it.Mulroney's actions in going against the prevailing wisdom over South Africa at the time demonstrate that leadership does mean something. It isn't shown very often in the political realm, as most of what is said and done is driven by relentless polling and spin.
Leadership matters. It has been shown in the past century by a few - notably Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Pope John Paul II and, of course, by Nelson Mandela.
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