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Mon 23 Mar, 2009 03:02 pm
Two of South Africa's Nobel peace prize winners, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and FW de Klerk, have pulled out of a Johannesburg conference to fight racism after what they branded as Pretoria's "disgraceful" decision to ban the Dalai Lama from attending following Chinese pressure.
The Nobel peace prize committee also said it would boycott this Friday's conference, which is dedicated to tackling racism ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
The row threatens to draw in Nelson Mandela, who, with his fellow South African laureates, invited the Tibetan spiritual leader, and further embarrasses South Africa, which has been accused of squandering its moral authority since ending apartheid by blocking UN security council moves to pressure rogue governments in Burma and Zimbabwe.
Tutu, who won the prize for his resistance to white rule, told Johannesburg's Sunday Independent newspaper he will not attend the conference to discuss how to use the World Cup preparations to combat racism and xenophobia if the Tibetan spiritual leader is not present.
"If His Holiness's visa is refused, then I won't take part in the coming 2010 World Cup-related peace conference. I will condemn [the] government's behaviour as disgraceful, in line with our country's abysmal record at the United Nations security council, a total betrayal of our struggle's history," he said.
What moral authority did South Africa ever have? Being oppressed doesn't automatically invest one with moral authority.
Both sides of the former South African internal conflict are to be respected for finding a way to resolve their mounting crisis with a relatively bare minimum of bloodshed, but I doubt anyone thinks the Afrikaaners walked away with moral authority, and I don't know that the ANC did either.
Individuals certainly, and Tutu is one of them which he continues to demonstrate by his response to this current issue.
China is investing heavily in Africa. Can South African leaders afford to piss them off?
I don't know, but isn't it interesting how some of us expect idealism from certain nations, but mock it in others?
Why aren't South African leaders allowed to pursue the national self-interests of Real Politiks?
Since when did they become Christ-like?
While we're at it, why is the Dali Llama overwhelmingly accepted as a holy man by the Western Left, while the Pope is mocked and vilified?
Religion is religion isn't it?
Why is it ignorant and oppressive when it is a "Western" religion, but cool as can be when it's Eastern?
For the record, I am an admirer of the Dali Lama, and find spiritual resonance in Buddhism, and I also think South Africa shouldn't bend to China's wishes, but then I don't consider religion dangerous superstition, and I'm a dread Neo-Con.
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