NELSON Mandela was a global icon who inspired the world, spending harsh 27 years in prison for his fight against the South African apartheid regime and going on to become the country’s first black president. His greatest achievement was bringing freedom and democracy to South Africa with his African National Congress (ANC) Party, after decades of brutal white minority rule. He forgave his former enemies and ushered in one of the world’s most progressive constitutions. Today South Africa is seen as a moral example and beacon of hope worldwide. Great leader Nelson Mandela served one term as President of the country. For everyone, Nelson Mandela is an inspirational figure. The most intriguing thing about Mandela is his ability to forgive everyone despite being in prison for 27 long and tiring years. He has shown the world what compassion truly means and has set an example in forgiveness. He always knew that one day he would feel again the grass under his feet and walk in the sunshine as a free man. Cowards die many times before their death. The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I have heard, it seems to me most strange that people fear, seeing death. In the midst of turbulent situations Mandela is calm and sees the calmness in others. He radiates calmness in difficult situations.
He dedicated himself to the struggle of the African people, fighting against both white domination and black domination. He cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities—an ideal he hoped to live for and to achieve. Even if it requires sacrifice, it is an ideal for which he is prepared to die. Mandela’s view is that leaders must not only lead, they must be seen to be leading—that is part of the job description. Just the way he walked and carried himself morally lifted other fellow prisoners. It uplifted them just to see him walk confidently. I have had the privilege of meeting Excellency Moosa Moola several times, a very close associate of the great Nelson Mandela.
Mandela understood that appearances do count and you get only one chance to make first impression. He believes that if you want to play the part, you have to wear the right costume. Mandela, even when in prison, took care of himself pretty well by running in place for forty-five minutes, followed by two hundred sit-ups and one hundred fingertip push-ups. He also makes sure to get eight hours of sleep each night. It shows that irrespective of your responsibilities you can still take care of your health. Mandela knew he had to share the limelight. He realized that his own goal could die unless he empowered others to lead. He genuinely believed in the virtues of his nation. He knew that to get the best out of his own people, he had to make sure that they could bring glory and that they were influencing the situation. A good leader listens, summarizes and then seeks to mould opinion and steer people towards an action. I think this is the greatest achievement of Mandela. It is extraordinary that a man who was ill-treated for so much of his life sees the good in others always. He believes seeing the good in others would eventually make them better. Mandela has shown what one can do with patience, courage, perseverance and relentless devotion to his cause. I think this is the most important lesson to learn from this great South African leader. He was in it for the long haul and was prepared for delayed gratification. Just imagine if Mandela had given up after ten years or even twenty years but he waited for twenty seven long years before he saw freedom. It requires enormous resilience and foresight to see the future and have belief that eventually things will work out for the good.
This is a watershed moment for all of us. Our decisions and actions will determine whether we use our pain, our grief and our outrage to move forward to what is the only lasting solution for our country – an elected government of the people, by the people and for the people. Because of extraordinary meritorious leadership qualities and commitment with the nation leaders like Nelson Mandela never fade in the course of history. For centuries he will remain a source of inspiration elsewhere. Unlike Mandela our leaders never want to face hardships for their nation and always prefer living in comfort. Our leaders never forgive their political opponents and wish to level scores as their main objective. Unlike Mandela our leaders when come in power badly turn revengeful. This is why we wasted time and national resources and couldn’t make significant progress on economic, diplomatic, political and moral grounds.
—The writer is editor, book ambassador political analyst and author of several books based in Islamabad.
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