Government sends Dalai Lama packing; gives Castro an award
A couple of weeks ago we recall the local organising committee for the 2010 Soccer World Cup getting hauled over coals by Parliament for failing to create enough hype around the tournament. In an amazing about turn, Parliament now claims South Africa’s ro
Sounds a bit like a struggle organisation
Some claim that government refused the Tibetan spiritual leader’s visa application because China ‘asked’ them to. Commenting after the fact, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said: “All countries should respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity... and oppose Tibetan independence.” He said his country welcomed any measures taken by other sovereign states to push this agenda. And there’s no doubt that denying the Dalai Lama a platform qualifies as such an act.
So what’s all the fuss about? We turned to online encyclopaedia http://www.wikipedia.org/ for some background information. Tibet is a plateau region in Asia – just north of the Himalayas – and is often referred to as the “Roof of the World.” At various times in its history the region has been regarded as an “independent country, divided into different countries, and a part of China!” Since 1640 the Dalai Lamas (a line of spiritual leaders) has ruled the territory. But trouble started in 1913 when the 13th Dalais Lama declared Tibet independent of China. In 1950 China wrested control of western Tibet by force, and the 14th Dalai Lama subsequently fled to India in 1959.
As thing stand, the People’s Republic of China has laid claim to Tibet while the Government of Tibet in Exile disagrees. And the 14th Dalai Lama – the bloke who was invited to speak here – is the head of this exiled government. Clearly he is a dangerous [sic] man! In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and in 2007 the United States Congressional Gold Medal for spreading Buddhist teachings and promoting ethics and interfaith harmony. To boot he has received “more than 100 honorary conferments and major awards outside of Tibet.”
Hogan follows government’s example and puts her foot in it!
Government’s decision dealt a death blow to the 2010 World Cup peace conference. The event was cancelled after former president FW de Klerk and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu pulled out in protest of the visa decision. Sapa reports that “De Klerk had been in touch with Archbishop Tutu and identified himself with the views that [Tutu] had expressed with regard to the refusal of the South African government to grant a visa to the Dalai Lama.” Both believe the step was “irreconcilable with the key principles on which South African society is built.”
And at least one government minister agrees. Recently appointed health minister, Barbara Hogan said “the very fact that this government has refused entry to the Dalai Lama is an example of a government who is dismissive of human rights!” It’s a stance which could have undesirable consequences. Why cross your employer just four weeks before the election induced cabinet reshuffle? It took government spokesperson Themba Maseko, less than 24-hours to put the minister in her place. He branded her comments “rather unfortunate in the sense that this position on the Dalai Lama is an official position of this government.” His response included the well-worn “member of the collective” argument. He asked how Hogan could “attack” the position when she was part of the group that constructed it. While we agree that the platform she used to come out against government’s position was inappropriate, we commend her for taking a stance!
Government is making a mockery of the human rights enshrined in our constitution. Its position on votes and motions put to the United Nations general assembly and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) beggar belief. We voted “no” to a proposal to bring Myanmar human rights abuses to the Security Council for discussion, tried to block a resolution condemning the use of rape as a weapon of war, opposed a resolution on human rights abuses in Darfur, opposed a motion to hear a briefing on the crisis in Zimbabwe, campaigned successfully to bar two major gay rights organisations from being accredited at the UN and helped remove UN scrutiny of human rights abuses in Belarus, Cuba and the DRC! And today we barred the Dalai Lama from entering the country on one hand, while conferring the Order of Companions of OR Tambo (in gold) on Fidel Castro on the other.
Editor’s thoughts: We agree wholeheartedly that peace conferences shouldn’t be abused for political point scoring. However the Dalai Lama’s credentials are such we can conclusively rule out such motive. He was going to come to South Africa to present at a conference with the aim to promote tolerance and peace through football. Would you have granted a travel visa to the Dalai Lama to visit South Africa? Add your comment below, or send it to [email protected]
