8/13/2019 A Letter to President Rajapakse From Nelson Mandela

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A letter to President Rajapaksefrom Nelson Mandela

• by Sunanda Deshapriya • - on 12/16/2013

Mahinda Rajapaksa paying his last respects to the re ains o! the !or erSouth "!rican #resident late $elson Mandela% #hoto &ia o!!icial '(itter !eed %

Dear Mahinda Rajapakse) At the outset , I would like to tell you one thing. I regret very much that we have nevermet and not had the opportunity to share our experience. Perhaps you could not visitme before I became bedridden because you were bogged down with a difficult war.*irst o! all + should thank all the people li&ing in your beauti!ul country !orthe indo itable solidarity e,tended by the and their leaders (hen ourcountry (as under the curse o! naked racis o! apartheid syste % +e,pressed these senti ents to your !or er #resident handrika.u aratunga e&ery ti e + et her%oth our countries ha&e su!!ered !ro the course o! (ar) although indi!!erent conte,ts% So e (ars are !air% So e are not% ut the issues le!ta!ter all (ars are ore or less si ilar% *or (ar eans annihilation% urSouth "!rica (on !reedo and de ocracy (ith the legacy o! long andoppressi&e racist rule and ar ed resistance in the background% e (ereengaged in a !atal (ar (ith the racist state % ut once the inhu ane

8/13/2019 A Letter to President Rajapakse From Nelson Mandela

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apartheid / racist rule (as o&er) our ai (as trans!or ed in to buildingpeace and de ocracy% 'his is a task !unda entally di!!erent !ro (aging(ar%hen (e look at history o! your o(n region) (e eet the .ing "soka) (ho(as instru ental in such a change% e took o!! the ar our andbeca e Dharma-Asoka % +t is essential that (e lea&e the politics o! (arbehind to (ork to(ards peace and hu an !reedo % 'his is one o! thepara ount lessons !ro South "!rica%"nd + need to tell you that international pressure (as e,tre ely help!ul inachie&ing our independence% ne o! the ost i portant e,periences that +like to share (ith you is that the international pressure could (ork both(ays to ake the situation better or (orse in a country% +t is i possible toneglect the international pressure%ur struggle also pro&ed to us that at the end) it is the internal !orces thatdecide the !uture o! a country% +n the case o! South "!rica) international and

national !orces surged !or(ard intert(ined) like a rope% +! there (as nopo(er!ul o&e ent !or !reedo (ithin the country there (ould not be aninternational ca paign or any in!luence !ro such a ca paign% #leaseconsider ho( your country could ake use o! international concerns likeours did%

4ou ay (onder (hy + a getting in to political discussion% 'hat is preciselybecause o! the ne(s that your go&ern ent is keen to learn !or our 'ruthand Reconciliation o ission 5'R process% 'his indeed akes e happy%+t is all the ore i portant that you ha&e e,pressed this desire to learn!ro our e,periences to address the unresol&ed hu an rights issues related

to the (ar) at the 7M) recently held in your country%#eople like ishop Des ond 'utu) one o! the great en o! our ti es) and(ho !ought !or the !reedo o! our country alongside e) has brie!ed e onse&eral occasions regarding the deplorable situation your country is !acing%+n 2008 together (ith 7ra9a Machel and Des ond 'utu) + initiated theElders as a !oru to !acilitate sol&ing hu ane proble s !aced by theankind) including peace building% orld reno(ned hu an rights de!enderslike Martti "htisaari) .o!i "nnan) Mary Robinson : to na e a !e(- joined thegroup% "t the ti e o! its !or ation + re e ber saying ;this group can speak!reely and boldly) (orking both publicly and behind the scenes% 'ogetherthey (ill support courage (here there is !ear) !oster agree ent (here thereis con!lict and inspire hope (here there is despair%<+t (as ishop Des ond 'utu (ho chaired the Elders ) (hich the three o! uscreated together) since its inspection% + still re e ber the !irst night + spentas a !ree an at 'utu<s ho e in 1==0 a!ter 28 years in prison% e is are arkable person (ho rendered a priceless ser&ice to stop our countrydegenerating in to an inhu an con!lict again%e (as the chair o! our 'ruth and Reconciliation o ission% e led the

8/13/2019 A Letter to President Rajapakse From Nelson Mandela

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reconciliation process by setting e,a ples) not by ere (ords% e (as the!irst to coin the (ord Rainbow Nation !or South "!rica%"t an early state o! our peace process (hite supre acists assonated hrisani) the leader o! the South "!rican o unist #arty and (ho anybelie&ed to be y successor) in the hope to derail the peace process% "tthis crucial junction) ishop 'utu played a role o! historical signi!icance% "this !uneral 'utu anaged to subdue the strong and agitated cro(d o! 120000) by getting the to chant> ? e (ill be !ree) all o! us) black and (hitetogether@Aishop 'utu has set any e,a ples that you ay be interested in% eresigned !or the o! the Blders in 2013% e said ; As Elders, we shouldalways oppose Presidents for Life. After si wonderful years as !hairman, "am sad to say that it was time for me to step down# %< "s you ay kno() +)ysel!) resigned !ro the presidency o! South "!rica a!ter one ter % 'his isanother lesson you can learn !ro South "!rica% + a disheartened to hear

that you ha&e changed the onstitution in a (ay that you can be thepresident !or li!e%Dear Mahinda) + thank you !or your respect!ul (ords !or e% 'o ake thoserespect!ul (ords eaning!ul you need to !ollo( the path cleared by us%#lease e,a ine (hether you are on the sa e path%+ a a!raid that + (ill be ade a sy bol to decorate unde ocratic regi esand y na e and the i age (ill be used to boast their rule%"t ti es + (onder (hat do you ha&e to learn !or us (hen you ha&ebeco e a strong de!ender and a close !riend o! #resident Mugabe o!Ci bab(e) (ho has ade hi sel! president !or li!e) in practice% is path

(as co pletely di!!erent to ours and laden (ith &iolence% "notherdisappointing ne(s is your close relationship (ith the king o! the S(a iland)a ost back(ard country in "!rica% +! you ha&e chosen to !ollo( thee,a ples o! Ci bab(e and S(a iland) there is nothing (e can o!!er you%+! you really (ant to learn anything !ro South "!rica or !ro y li!e as apolitician) that is the di!!erence bet(een the politics o! (ar and politics o!peace% 'he basis !or politics o! peace is not the coercion or ilitarisationbut rather a de ocratic practice based on justice and !airness%+ (as ade a(are o! the position taken by 'he Blders in relation to yourcountry in recent ti es% + a still an honorary e ber o! the group and ypartner 7arcia Michael continues to be an acti&e e ber o! the group% +nMarch 2013 'he Blders said>

$nfortunately, too little has happened since the end of war in %riLanka. Lastin& reconciliation' upholdin& the rule of law' protectionof human ri&hts( it is difficult to feel positi)e about any of theseessential ob*ecti)es today. +he impeachment in anuary of the%upreme !ourt#s !hief ustice, %hirani andaranayake, was a

8/13/2019 A Letter to President Rajapakse From Nelson Mandela

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particularly disturbin& si&n that the authorities do not plan totolerate dissent or disa&reement. +here has, furthermore, beenalmost no meanin&ful action to implement the LLR!#srecommendations .+here needs to be an independent andcredible international in)esti&ation into alle&ed )iolations ofhuman ri&hts perpetrated by the %ri Lankan Armed /orces, theLiberation +i&ers of +amil Eelam and other rebel factions in thefinal months of the ci)il (ar E

+ need to tell you that +he Elders ) has endorsed the both resolutions passedby the F$ R in 2012 and 2013 on Sri Ganka% +n !act our group ad&ocated!or a stronger resolution to be passed% e endorsed those resolutions notbecause (e are against Sri Ganka because (e are sincerely concernedabout justice and hu an rights o! all Sri Gankans%

'hese actions o! the Elders (ere taken under the guidance o! its hair and!or er hair o! the South "!rican 'ruth and Reconciliation o ission

ishop 'utu% 'ruth and Reconciliation go in hand in hand%$o( + co e to y !inal Huestion> ill you brand the Elders ) including e) astraitors to Sri Ganka because o! the stance taken by usI + a a!raid thatyou do not ha&e any other alternati&e gi&en the politics you !ollo(% + urgeyou again to e,a ine your path%Sincerely yours)$elson Mandela+his ima&inary letter was first published in %inhala in the Ra)ayanewspaper. +he author translated it into En&lish on our re0uest.