The passing of Nelson Mandala surely brings about a slew of emotions from people across the world. As a symbol of a Third World leader fighting against unjust and institutionalized discrimination on racial basis, his nonviolent resistance and quickness to forgive his enemies exemplify the humanitarian nature needed by so sorely lacking to bring about peaceful resolution of debilitating ethnic conflicts. Yet, while touring the former financial center of Manila, the author has come to realize just how quickly any positive recognition will pass, covered up by unresolved issues that will shift attentions elsewhere.
Escolta Street was no ordinary street. During the years of American administration, it was the most fashionable of the metropolis, not only home to luxurious hotels and restaurants, but was the founding base of perhaps all of the major banking corporations operating in the Philippines today. Yet, without knowing its glorious history, a casual visitor would be forgiven to think of it just like any other in the rather crumbling Binondo neighborhood. Full of shuttered doors under grandiose colonial buildings, it is just like any other of its neighboring streets slowly decaying under passage of time.
The legacy of Mandala, the author is afraid, may end up looking just like that of Escolta Street in a few decades time. On one hand, history shall be remembered. No one who lived through the tumultuous times of Mandala will forget his courage and wisdom in achieving his ultimate victory. Yet, for the younger generations of South Africans (especially the blacks he fought for) concerned with their daily survival, Mandala cannot be more than just what he already is, a symbol of past glory, with rather little relevance to modern social issues of inequality facing South Africa.
Just like it is the case for Philippines, the modern South African society has not been saved from its fundamental questions of unequal distribution of wealth through peaceful changes in government. Stats show that the wealth gap between blacks and whites in South Africa only widened during Mandala's lifetime, and especially so after he took up presidency. Certain neighborhoods became enclaves of the wealthy elites while slums spread and enlarged. Inner city urban decay as witnessed at Escolta Street ought not to be unfamiliar to a South African visitor.
So while people celebrate the achievements of Mandala, they ought to remember what he (and to this day, his associates leading the African National Congress) failed to achieve. There has been no dramatic solutions put in place to quickly help the blacks catch up with the whites in access to education and employment opportunities, while the rising crime rates among increasingly frustrated blacks, combined with installation of what is perceived as an unfair affirmative action program is causing a massive exodus of whites in a brain drain surely to damage the country's future prospects.
Funny that coincidentally, another anniversary happened to land on this day. 72 years ago today, the militant Japanese government launched surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in hopes of quickly defeating the US Navy. The resounding Japanese victory was quickly forgotten as it only served to expose the previously masked devastating weakness of the Japanese war strategy as it had to fight both on land and at sea with an increasingly shrinking pool of usable labor and resources to continue fighting. The sneak attack did not improve the Japanese situation by made it worse.
The author does hope that the global celebration of Mandala does not take up that sort of misplaced significance. The now political elites of ANC is steadily resorting to cover up their own failures behind the aura of its previous leader Mandala's greatness. But the politicians cannot keep living in the past and bask in the light of Mandala's efforts. The contemporary problems of South Africa (and to large extent, most of the Third World) cannot be resolved by simply living in the past and celebrating a short-term Pearl Harbor-style tactical victory that masks complete long-term strategic failure.
So, let the decaying Escolta Street, the pain-filled experiences of Mandala, and the devastation of Pearl Harbor be a collective lesson for us all, not as a simple remainder of past greatness, but as illustrations of just how trivial and fleeting past achievements can be when compared to problems of the present. Remember that hiding behind positives of the past cannot resolve the negatives of the future. Celebrations should take place and glory should be remembered, but only in a way that will accentuate the need for us to continue striving in the same way to make such greatness consistent, and not just one event that will surely disappear in the long flow of human history.
Escolta Street was no ordinary street. During the years of American administration, it was the most fashionable of the metropolis, not only home to luxurious hotels and restaurants, but was the founding base of perhaps all of the major banking corporations operating in the Philippines today. Yet, without knowing its glorious history, a casual visitor would be forgiven to think of it just like any other in the rather crumbling Binondo neighborhood. Full of shuttered doors under grandiose colonial buildings, it is just like any other of its neighboring streets slowly decaying under passage of time.
The legacy of Mandala, the author is afraid, may end up looking just like that of Escolta Street in a few decades time. On one hand, history shall be remembered. No one who lived through the tumultuous times of Mandala will forget his courage and wisdom in achieving his ultimate victory. Yet, for the younger generations of South Africans (especially the blacks he fought for) concerned with their daily survival, Mandala cannot be more than just what he already is, a symbol of past glory, with rather little relevance to modern social issues of inequality facing South Africa.
Just like it is the case for Philippines, the modern South African society has not been saved from its fundamental questions of unequal distribution of wealth through peaceful changes in government. Stats show that the wealth gap between blacks and whites in South Africa only widened during Mandala's lifetime, and especially so after he took up presidency. Certain neighborhoods became enclaves of the wealthy elites while slums spread and enlarged. Inner city urban decay as witnessed at Escolta Street ought not to be unfamiliar to a South African visitor.
So while people celebrate the achievements of Mandala, they ought to remember what he (and to this day, his associates leading the African National Congress) failed to achieve. There has been no dramatic solutions put in place to quickly help the blacks catch up with the whites in access to education and employment opportunities, while the rising crime rates among increasingly frustrated blacks, combined with installation of what is perceived as an unfair affirmative action program is causing a massive exodus of whites in a brain drain surely to damage the country's future prospects.
Funny that coincidentally, another anniversary happened to land on this day. 72 years ago today, the militant Japanese government launched surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in hopes of quickly defeating the US Navy. The resounding Japanese victory was quickly forgotten as it only served to expose the previously masked devastating weakness of the Japanese war strategy as it had to fight both on land and at sea with an increasingly shrinking pool of usable labor and resources to continue fighting. The sneak attack did not improve the Japanese situation by made it worse.
The author does hope that the global celebration of Mandala does not take up that sort of misplaced significance. The now political elites of ANC is steadily resorting to cover up their own failures behind the aura of its previous leader Mandala's greatness. But the politicians cannot keep living in the past and bask in the light of Mandala's efforts. The contemporary problems of South Africa (and to large extent, most of the Third World) cannot be resolved by simply living in the past and celebrating a short-term Pearl Harbor-style tactical victory that masks complete long-term strategic failure.
So, let the decaying Escolta Street, the pain-filled experiences of Mandala, and the devastation of Pearl Harbor be a collective lesson for us all, not as a simple remainder of past greatness, but as illustrations of just how trivial and fleeting past achievements can be when compared to problems of the present. Remember that hiding behind positives of the past cannot resolve the negatives of the future. Celebrations should take place and glory should be remembered, but only in a way that will accentuate the need for us to continue striving in the same way to make such greatness consistent, and not just one event that will surely disappear in the long flow of human history.
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