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Mandela: A lesson in political greatness
December 11, 2013 by Anthony Akinola
Mandela
By
virtue of their exalted positions, political leaders are invariably
famous! We see their faces on television and in newspapers and we also
listen to their voices on radio. The notorious ones among them
intimidate us with their posters or statues, palaces and the exclusive
streets they name after themselves. They would rather celebrate their
own lives than be patient with history!
However, these fellows in positions of
power are reduced to ordinariness as soon as they are relieved of
political power. The most mischievous of them (the Samuel Does, the
Nicolae Ceausescus, the Saddam Husseins and the Muammar Gaddafis) get
consumed by the anger of the oppressed, begging in vain for their lives
to be spared!
Fame or notoriety is transient, while
greatness endures. Political greatness is about doing deeds whose
consequences endure in history. Great political leaders do not come in
rapid succession; they come once in a while.
The magnitude of political greatness is
determined by the magnitude of crises or challenges a political leader
is confronted with. It is not by choice that the political leaders whose
names ring through history and in our subconscious memories have been
those who were great nation builders, or great managers of wars, or
great heralds of economic prosperity. The great nations of the world
have their Abraham Lincolns, Winston Churchills, Mao Tse-tungs, Mahatma
Gandhis and Otto von Bismarks, to mention just a few. Even in death,
great political leaders inspire generations of would-be leaders.
The Black world, in the modern era, has
donated two great names to the world of political mythology. Both
Martin Luther King Jnr and Nelson Mandela were products of similar as
well as contrasting historical circumstances. They were members of
multi-racial societies in which their own peoples were at the receiving
end of injustice and degradation. The majority white group meted out
injustice to the minority black in one instance, while the minority
white also meted out injustice to the majority black in another. Both
King Jnr and Mandela were historical characters in the crusade to bring
sanity to what was a hopeless situation.
They were men of exceptional courage,
intelligence, eloquence, vision and character. King Jnr paid the
ultimate price in his crusade for racial equality and justice, while
Mandela had his freedom curtailed in an incredible 27 years of
imprisonment. Today, we celebrate the fact that both men and their
apostles have been vindicated.
The world mourns Mandela who died on
Thursday, December 5, at the ripe old age of 95. His death has captured
the imagination of the entire world. Of course, the role he played in
ending the obnoxious apartheid system in South Africa is monumental;
what, however, the rest of the world is celebrating today is the
exceptional character of one individual. One doubts if he would have
been that revered if he were vengeful, or had exhibited political greed
by wanting to die in office. Neither was he obsessed with personal
wealth and the perquisites that appeal to ordinary human beings. In
suffering and forgiving his tormentors, Mandela, according to Prof.
Ladipo Adamolekun, is the nearest we have to Jesus Christ in Christian
mythology.
It is noteworthy that President Goodluck
Jonathan declared three days of mourning in memory of Africa’s most
illustrious son. This gesture is not enough. What can we learn from
Mandela in terms of personal contentment and spirit of reconciliation?
What can Jonathan himself learn from this global icon as he ponders his
own political future amidst fierce disagreements and possible chaos?
When one’s political right conflicts with the national interest, which
one should prevail over the other?
For our nation, one urges that we
reflect on the struggles of our racial compatriots in the United States
of America and South Africa. They had more vicious experiences to
contend with than many of us could imagine. With purposeful
leadership, we should prevail and ours be counted among the most
important nations of the world. Great leaders like Mandela and King Jnr
re-write history because their dreams transcend big mansions and
private jets! Great leaders live their lives for the sake of others.
- Akinola wrote in from Oxford, United Kingdom.
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