Saturday, December 06, 2013
Nelson Mandela: Death of a statesman
EVEN the world’s most prestigious award, the Nobel Peace Prize, was too small an honour for the giant Nelson Mandela was. Perhaps a more poignant tribute came from Bishop Desmond Tutu: “God was good to us in South Africa by giving us Nelson Mandela”. He was more than good. The white supremacist regime in South Africa would sooner or later have collapsed, as happened elsewhere. But it was the way that it ended, or was made to end — without bloodshed — that showed how Mandela stood head and shoulders above other freedom fighters of his times.
The ‘white man’s burden’ manifested itself in the colonised world in many ways; signs reading “dogs and Indians not allowed” were just one of the many exhibits of the rulers. But in South Africa, the colonial approach was unprecedented in its brutality: the segregation of races — euphemistically called ‘separate development’ or apartheid — reduced native Africans to the status of animals. In the subcontinent, the British established “civil lines”, which by convention forbade the natives from being the white man’s neighbour. In South Africa, Bantus were bound by law to carry passes to move from a black zone to a white one. The cumulative effect of apartheid laws was that 80pc of South Africa’s land — which belonged rightfully to all its people — was reserved for the ruling white minority. Mandela raised his voice against this precursor to Nazism when Hitler was still in the trenches in Flanders. He was arrested in 1962 and passed 27 years in prison — only to come out victorious.
But perhaps Mandela’s greatest achievement was that he prevailed upon his people to shun revenge. The setting up of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission helped heal wounds and spared the country what could have been a slaughter of unimaginable proportions as the victims, now unfettered, suddenly found themselves in a position of strength. Mandela was a conciliator, and there is no doubt he received valuable support from F.W. de Klerk, the country’s last white president. But without Mandela, who chose to serve just one term as president, the orderly transition to a racism-free democratic dispensation would have been unthinkable. In a world dominated by leaders with either autocratic tendencies or mediocre abilities, Mandela stood apart. Freedom fighter, democrat and above all great conciliator, the African icon had in him the rare combination of leadership, courage, wisdom and foresight. Forever in history’s spotlight, he remains in his death among the 20th century’s greatest freedom fighters and statesmen.
Losing the battle: Polio emergency
AS the year draws to a close, the situation on the polio front in Pakistan sadly remains one of great concern. Looking at the figures of polio cases in the country this year so far (73, whereas there were a total of 58 cases in 2012), it appears that eradicating the crippling disease remains a distant goal. The same stubborn obstacles appear to be halting progress: ignorance, myths about the vaccination and insecurity. In many instances, parents themselves seem to be dooming their children’s future by refusing anti-polio drops for them. WHO figures indicate that of the over 2m children missed nationwide during a recent anti-polio drive, over 47,000 could not receive the drops as their parents refused to have them vaccinated. The majority of refusals (nearly 25,000) came from KP. Corroborating this trend is the view of health officials that most polio victims in Pakistan are Pakhtun. In fact, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative says North Waziristan has the highest number of children paralysed by polio in the country. Health officials also want a ‘polio emergency’ declared in Karachi because of the continued recurrence of cases in the metropolis.
The truth is a nationwide polio emergency needs to be declared. The state needs to tackle obstacles such as parents’ refusal with urgency. While other factors that are inhibiting anti-polio efforts, such as lawlessness and militancy, require time and complex efforts to resolve, changing people’s perceptions about polio vaccinations is a more achievable goal should the state pursue it with dedication. Since resistance is highest in the Pakhtun community, the KP government should be putting in extra effort to engage tribal, community and religious leaders in polio awareness campaigns. A publicity campaign in Pashto should be undertaken to convince parents to have their children vaccinated. We must remember that if Pakistan continues to ignore the threat posed by polio, penalties such as international travel restrictions may be on the horizon.
Not a simple matter: Former Karachi nazim’s resignation
FOR a party accustomed to calling the shots in Karachi, that too without a murmur of dissent, the MQM has had an eventful year. First the elections in May saw the PTI make inroads into the city. Then there was the fracas at a party jalsa, which precipitated a top tier reshuffle by Altaf Hussain. The ongoing Karachi operation has also seen the party under pressure from all sides. On Thursday night, Osama Qadri, a former MQM town nazim, was kidnapped. Although he was subsequently released, the motive of the kidnapping remains unknown. And all this against the steady drip-drip of news from London about Mr Hussain’s troubles with the Metropolitan Police.
Although the MQM chief’s recent address to the party faithful had a resurgent note to it, there are signs of some friction within the leadership. It seems that former Karachi nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, out of the country and virtually incommunicado since several months, had tendered his resignation from the Senate in November as requested by the party on account of his prolonged overseas stay. The MQM, which has inexplicably not yet accepted the resignation it asked for, says that Mr Kamal’s absence is for personal reasons and rumours of his differences with the party leadership are not only “baseless and fabricated” but that the party leadership wishes him well in resolving his current travails.
Even those who do not agree with the MQM’s politics usually concede that Syed Mustafa Kamal did well by Karachi during his tenure. The former nazim’s infectious enthusiasm and can-do spirit was translated into actual work, a trait much appreciated by people weary of self-aggrandising politicians inclined to little more than posturing.
Would it be unreasonable to conclude that by its vehement insistence on there being nothing amiss in Mr Kamal’s keeping himself at a distance, the party doth protest too much?