Thursday, February 13, 2014

Of Heroes And Terrorists

Husband-wife relationships turn sour for various reasons. We are not talking about Murdoch fuming over his wife's email exchanges with Tony Blair. Or how a stoic Hillary dealt with her husband's infidelities. Something must be really awful for Nelson Mandela to will money to children and grandchildren, staff and the African National Congress (ANC), but gave zilch to his ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Justin Chadwick's "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" has an explosive scene when Winnie told him "the people are still angry". While he prevaricated, she remained solid. Mandela had decided to reconcile with and forgive the Apartheid thugs who had murdered and destroyed families but he himself could not reconcile with and forgive ANC's "Great Mother".

We are talking the same hero who had pleaded guilty to 156 acts of public violence including mobilizing terrorist bombing campaigns to plant bombs in public places, including the Johannesburg railway station (thanks, anon @ 2/11/2014 4:12 PM). South African President Botha had offered to free Mandela from prison, on condition he renounces terrorist violence. This he steadfastly refused to do so. Winnie was just doing same. Mandela's statement from the dock at the Rivonia Trial include these lines:
"Four forms of violence were possible. There is sabotage, there is guerrilla warfare, there is terrorism, and there is open revolution. We chose to adopt the first method and to exhaust it before taking any other decision."
Not exactly the prescription Gandhi had in mind when he preached, "an eye for an eye, and the whole world will be blind".

Just when you think you can tell heroes from terrorists, the New York Times revealed that the American backed Karzai has been negotiating secretly with the Taliban, the bad guys U.S. military spent US$4 billion per month to defeat. One theory about the change of face is that the Afghan President remembers what happened to the Soviet Union installed Mohammad Najibullah. When the Taliban rode into Kabul, he was denounced as a foreign puppet, castrated, body dragged through the streets and then strung up at a traffic barricade. Not everybody is prepared for the supreme sacrifice when the dirty politics get out of hand.

17 comments:

  1. For the first time I cannot figure out your intent in putting out this piece. But surely, if any lesson can be gleaned, it is that in the world of politics, one man's terrorist is another man's hero. The recent controversy over the naming of the Indonesian warships is good testimony.

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    Replies
    1. The paper generals want to trumpet on patriotism but I think it backfired.

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    2. It's a blog.

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    3. It is the perception not the deed that matters, imagine if Singapore after kicked out from Malaysia joined Indonesia, the terrorists that bombed Mcdonald house will be heroes.

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  2. There are many foreign puppets trying to interfere with our politics, suppressing our criticisms towards the PAP government and carrying their balls. These people shall be castrated when the time come.

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  3. One man's meat is another man's poison. The PAPigs can be forgiven if they are such saints themselves. Need to ensure history is not re-opened but they seem to have forgotten that they were the ones behind Operation Coldstore in jailing innocent people labelled terrorists.

    What hypocrites !

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  4. PAPig Joke
    ==========
    What do PAPigs call a Chinese guy working for the Japanese Imperial Army in World War Two?
    A: Father of Singapore

    What do PRC Chinese call a Chinese guy working for the Japanese Imperial Army in World War Two?
    A: Traitor.

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  5. Terrorist turned hero. Hard to tell now, but there are parrallels here somewhere. Key words: translator, kempetei, president, prime minister, etc....go join the dots.

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  6. Regarding of heroes and terrorists, it boil down to on whom perspective the matter is being seem. Both sides foreign ministers have spoken. We have hear both. I will say "Let move forward."

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  7. Very good stuff here, not many willing to venture out, finds the real Mandela beside spoon feeds by MSM. Came across in-depth reports on Mandela's past from Common Dream and TRN (The Real News). My feeling, if Mandela was what he preached, he should have voice louder, maybe yell what is happening in Palestine today. The endless talk and talk.

    My opinions, Palestinians suffer equal or worst than the Black in the hands of White’s Afrikaner. Further, the leaders who had followed and supported him are filthy rich in mansions today, while most black SA sill rotting the Township.

    That's my opinion.

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  8. http://americanadmiraltybooks.blogspot.sg/2014/02/an-american-southerner-addresses.html

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  9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTWh9LI8UYE

    http://www.republika.co.id/berita/en/international/14/02/12/n0uqtn-singapores-threepoint-agenda-over-ship-naming-issue

    I just want to know few things .

    1) Their naming of the ships were decided on 12/12, why did it take MFA such a long time before they choose to react now?

    2) Have there been any attempts to resolve this through quiet diplomacy? If yes, did it fail or the Indo counterparts refused to budge thus we choose to go public and sway the people's opinion on this?

    3) What other attempts by Navy were being used to table this displeasure, if any, before escalating this storm in tea cup to tea pot?

    4) That is a lot of huffing and puffing for something buried 50 years ago, no less by 3 senior ministers and 2 junior minister?

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    Replies
    1. Spying and eavesdropping on the Indonesian president and his family members can be construed as a form of terrorism. How will PMLee and HoChing feel if the Indons pulled the same stunt on them, including their bunch of cabinet stooges ? Perhaps the indons will up the ante with new technology to cover bedrooms, toilets, etc.

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    2. 1) Their naming of the ships were decided on 12/12, why did it take MFA such a long time before they choose to react now?

      It takes time for Channel News Asia to produce a documentary about Confrontation to rally Singaporeans?

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  10. My opinions, Palestinians suffer equal or worst than the Black in the hands of White’s Afrikaner. Further, the leaders who had followed and supported him are filthy rich in mansions today, while most black SA sill rotting the Township.

    That's my opinion.

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  11. Anyway....we need to take note during WW2....civilian areas were bomb by all the incumbent nations involved...and civilians were killed...

    So what is the PAP whining about now? What are the self pawn idiots going to do next...threaten the indons with the UN world court on terrorism crimes? If so...the PAP can also bring forth all those other countries like the US, Germany, Russia, Britian, Japan, South Korean, North Korean, etc etc to the World court for killing civilians too then...

    Nuts lah!

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