Violence reproduces violence, geometrically multiplying, redoubling public sufferings. Nelson Mandela perceived this fundamental truth at the deepest level. During his anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, it was his meticulous thinking that led him to stand firmly against vendetta craze, which would ignite civil war. Ruling out armed civil war under his leadership, he barred the sowing of indefinite bloody path—an extremely horrible truth excruciating many nations in the world. Such a far-sighted statesman equipped with noble thoughts has passed away, leaving behind a rich heritage of nonviolent reconciliatory political ideology for the world to continue.
A global symbol of fight for human dignity, freedom and equality, Nelson Mandela will remain a blockbuster influence in the world’s socio-political disciplines.
Despite his physical demise, his proven faith in nonviolent politics and his compassionate thoughts will live to inspire generations for world peace and co-existence.
Those who may be specializing in civil wars as a multinational trade will possibly feel defeated when they remember Nelson Mandela’s nonviolent statesmanship—a vital matter that political gamblers in nations, rich and poor, need to internalize.
The true homage to Nelson Mandela is to utilize his proven method of nonviolent struggles geared towards drawing greater public support for equality, freedom and brotherhood. To render Nelson Mandela a lucratic trade brand overshadowing the plight of suffering masses would be an utter humiliation against him. Work for social justice honors him. A mere lip service dishonors him.
Will the context of Nelson Mandela remind Nepal’s political parties, especially their young generations, of the need to speculate why statesmanship is essential to drive home politics so as to prevent civil war? Despite rich resources, hard-working masses and international donations worth billions of dollars, the Nepalis remain among the poorest in the world while their leaders having nexus with business elites appear to have lived to eat. Supporters of parties may differ on this observation; however, the existing plight of the majority of Nepalis justifies it. South Africans, too, suffer the same fate. Only elites enjoy privileges and accesses while the majority still remain marginalized developmentally despite the new inclusive constitution with equal rights defined. Likewise, the Nepalis have excellent rights in documents while their actual life is still pitiable, the most pitiable being their conditions of essential goods and services.
Despite the end of apartheid in formal terms in South Africa, the long-privileged ones, sticking to status quoism, still remain the decisive ruling power while the political and socio-economic disparity is still a big challenge for the South Africans. It’s exactly the case in Nepal. Despite the complete constitutional and legal ban on caste-based discriminations, the plight of millions of so-called untouchable people—politically referred to as Dalits—remains the same in Nepal’s 3,915 villages and dozens of cities. This similarity between the South Africans and Nepalis is worth considering while we feel inspired to continue nonviolent and humanist movement for equality and justice.