This article was first published on Lib Dem Voice.
The passing of Nelson Mandela is a moment in history which has touched almost everyone as we reflect on the momentous achievements of the great man and compare them to his engagingly humble personality.
His belief in peace, non-violence and reconciliation mark him out in the same bracket as Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jnr and Mahatma Gandhi. His role as a freedom fighter and international symbol of resistance of Apartheid show an uncompromising spirit.
Mandela was a hero to most and his fight inspired many to get involved in the political process, perhaps more in the Liberals than any other British party. It was impossible to be an internationalist without caring deeply about South Africa; hard to self-exclude from politics while a whole nation who longed for freedom were forcibly prevented even from voting.
As someone who was active in the anti-Apartheid movement I was personally inspired to get involved in politics by the great man and the struggle he represented, and I have no doubt a many of you were too.
In addition to the legacy of his towering humanity Mandela the politician has also left a powerful legacy for politics worldwide. His inclusiveness succeeded because he addressed the scars of prejudice and discrimination not to ignore them.
No international leader who met him was in any doubt that Mandela stood resolutely against war, injustice and poverty. His power lay in the powerfulness of values and ideals rather than office, the importance of symbolism to change hearts, and real action to change the reality of oppression and lack of freedom.
Beyond his engaging uncle-like personality and personal achievements we can forget that Madiba was actually a symbol of a movement, and one that was deeply rooted in Britain as well as South Africa.
Many leading ANC activists who fled the regime continued their campaign in Britain and they were joined by thousands of Brits who demonstrated regularly outside South Africa House in Trafalgar Square and boycotted that nation’s produce.
And it was him who more than anyone else –shortly after his release from prison – who came to Britain to propel the case of Stephen Lawrence’s murder from the pages of the Voice newspaper to the national media and national consciousness leading to a public inquiry that changed our nation by addressing the scars of racism here.
In later life he was also someone who represented the ideals not just of dialogue and reconciliation between black and white South Africans but of nations at loggerheads. He reached out to Cuba, Libya and Zimbabwe not to endorse their regimes but to work for the peace and a better future for its citizens. And let us not forget that Liberal Democrats stood with him in opposing the war in Iraq.
To some he was Comrade Nelson for his unceasing advocacy of the responsibility of politicians to act to tackle unfairness and injustice. But to others he was Nelson the Liberal. Caring, compassionate, pro-freedom and opposed to an authoritarian state from personal experience. I believe he is an inspiration to Liberals because of both of these things.
I know that Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats (EMLD) are greatly inspired by him and I see in my colleagues that spirit of idealism and vision.
We may never see his like again but if every world leader paying tribute to him took a page out of his book the world will be a better place for it.
We will all miss him greatly. With his passing I would just like to say “Thank you, Madiba.”
* Issan Ghazni is Chair of the Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats and former National Diversity Adviser for the Liberal Democrats. Issan tweets @issanghazni and Facebooks at groups/issanghazni
issanghazni.wordpress.com 