Speakers at a discussion meting in the city yesterday paid glowing tributes to South Africa’s fatherly figure Nelson Mandela for his politics of reconciliation and national unity through which he won over the reign of apartheid in his nation of 52 million people, about of them blacks.They said that Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman did rebuild the country with the spirit of accommodation and reconciliation through which he had succeeded to strengthen national unity independence and sovereignty. They called for restoring the ideal of national consensus as against hatred that has spread between different groups of people in the country, by taking lessons from the great leaders.
Gen Mahbubur Rahman, member of the natonal standing committee of the BNP was the chief guest at the function organised by the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sangskritik Foundation to pay respects to the shaheed intellectuals and South African leader Nelson Mandela on his demise.
Presided over by Human Kabir Bepari, president of the foundation, the function was addressed by Mostafa Kamal Majumder, editor, Greenwatch Dhaka, as the keynote speaker, BNP leaders A Salam and Advocate Abed Reza as special guests among others.
Gen Mahbubur Rahman said that the people of Bangladesh who achieved independence through a glorious war do not deserve the reign of hatred that has plagued life as against national unity and solidarity. He paid glowing tributes to the Shaheed intellectuals who were killed in 1971 two days before the achievement of victory for crippling the country intellectually.
Gen Mahbub said due to lack o foresight and tolerance the country has been brought to the brink of sinking into a deep abyss. He called for restoring national unity by taking lessons from Mandela who forgave the whites despite nearly three centuries of their oppression and Ziaur Rahman who introduced the politics of accommodation and balance and allowed all shades of opinion to find space in politics.
Mostafa Kamal Majumder said Nelson Mandela did win the hearts of the minority whites in South Africa by safeguarding their rights and upholding their dignity through a policy of national reconciliation with the spirit of love against hatred. In Bangladesh Shaheed Ziaur Rahman did introduce multiparty democracy and made room for all political parties of the past to function with the spirit of tolerance and accommodation. Zia restored confidence as against frustration in the minds of the people, he said. – Staff Reporter
