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Wednesday, October 25, 2000
Mbeki has confounded the international community by insisting Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome might be the product of social factors -- poverty and malnutrition -- and not a powerful virus. "When a president becomes controversial on such an important issue," he says, "it is not good for the country." It is then that de Klerk -- who along with Mbeki's predecessor, Nelson Mandela, helped usher South Africa away from apartheid -- curtails diplomacy. "His stance has harmed South Africa," he says flatly. "And him." Saying this seems briefly to pain the 64-year-old de Klerk, who was in town for the Forum 2000 conference at Prague Castle. South Africa has been troubled lately. Mbeki's position unsettled the World Conference on AIDS last summer. Soon afterward, the nation lost its bid for the 2006 World Cup bid to Germany despite Mandela's lobbying. But de Klerk looks ahead, and beyond national boundaries. In a formal address, he spoke powerfully on a theme he considers vital: mankind's moral and ethical foundations in a new global community. Though the Nobel Peace Prize recipient -- he was a 1993 co-winner with Mandela -- retired from South African politics three years ago, he remains passionate about international affairs. "For all leaders, there comes a time to go," he told The Prague Post. "There are big challenges in continuing to play a constructive role without looking over the shoulder of your successor." Politics are in de Klerk's blood. His father was a Cabinet minister and president of South Africa's Senate; his uncle was a prime minister. De Klerk, a lawyer, rose through the ranks of the National Party, and was president from 1989 to 1994. Occasionally, de Klerk is in touch with Mandela -- the African National Congress leader he freed from years of imprisonment and who succeeded him as president. Despite racial and economic progress, he fears South Africa risks falling into what he calls "apartheid in reverse." "Because of affirmative action, many whites and other minorities feel they are now being discriminated against," he said. This is sparking an exodus among its talented younger generation, an asset the still-developing country "cannot afford to lose." De Klerk remains an optimist. Self-criticism over apartheid brought perspective. Now, issues of diversity, and the strife intrinsic to building unity, fascinate him. "If you analyze all the violent conflicts around the world at the moment, the main problem is the failure to, in a meaningful way, accommodate diversity. Minorities need to feel they have breathing space with regard to their positions, with regard to their culture, with regard to what is important to them." He adds: "We mustn't make people choose between being this and that, because the reality is, in many cases, we are both things. You're French but you're also European. You're Basque, but you're also Spanish. We must accommodate ... the full reality of people's lives. The moment we force them to choose, we light the spark of conflict and tension." Simple communication is vital. "Somehow or another, we must take hands, put our heads together and move forward together, because we all have a common destiny. Because we all need each other," he said. In his Prague Castle speech, de Klerk said enlightenment has exacted its price. Technological and economic development, he said, has outstripped spiritual development. The benefits of a global economy have squelched rich cultural, linguistic and religious traditions that traditionally have given life its meaning. "The result is the development of a new generation of global citizens whose attitudes, tastes and aspirations are increasingly uniform." It's a situation that saps cultural and artistic inspiration. "In a time when more people are painting, sculpting, writing and composing music than at any time in our history, why are we creating so little great art or great music?" he said. "The average European worker with his Volkswagen, his TV, his Internet, his global travel and medical care" lacks a sense of purpose. The challenge is its rediscovery. "We must remember that human beings came together not only to improve their hunting and gathering potential," de Klerk said, "but because they depended on society for their very identity and meaning." Lisa Gonderinger's e-mail address is lgonderinger@praguepost.cz
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The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.
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