The values of peace and respect that former South African President Nelson Mandela stood for will live on after his death as his life will remain “illuminating”, according to three Maltese ex-Presidents and prime ministers.
Former Presidents Ugo Mifsud Bonnici and Eddie Fenech Adami and former Prime Minister Alfred Sant described Mr Mandela, whom they met, as a great man whose life teachings would resonate into the future.
“It’s a difficult job, but I think all that he stands for will last because it was not only ethically correct – it was also successful,” Dr Mifsud Bonnici said.
Dr Fenech Adami, who also served as prime minister, added: “He was a great personality. One could only admire and try to follow his example now.”
Dr Sant also felt Mr Mandela’s legacy will live on: “I think the spirit with which he led his life and politics will not just die out… just like what happened with Gandhi, who is still illuminating.”
Mr Mandela, 95, died in his Johannesburg home on Thursday evening after a prolonged lung infection.
The anti-apartheid icon – who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 – was held in the highest esteem across the world for leading his nation through bloodshed and turmoil towards democracy in the 1990s.
Despite having been jailed for 27 years – on charges of treason and sabotage – his message remained one of peace.
He became South Africa’s first black President in 1994.
I think all that he stands for will last because it was not only ethically correct – it was also successful
Dr Mifsud Bonnici became President shortly before Mr Mandela’s election and was invited to witness his inaugural speech.
“I was facing him. I was in the very front seat. So I saw his expression,” he recalled, adding that Mr Mandela was a man of great principle who gave a good example to the world at large.
South Africa-born Cally Staniland, who has lived in Malta for over three decades, was visiting family when Mr Mandela became President.
“It was a wonderful feeling of unity, a fantastic feeling. It was quite emotional,” she said, adding that she hoped the legacy of the “wonderful man” would continue being felt in the country that was on a slippery slope under the current leadership.
Dr Fenech Adami met Mr Mandela during a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Zimbabwe in 1991.
“He was such a humble person. Despite being a great man, he was always easy to talk to,” he said.
Similarly Dr Sant met Mr Mandela during a CHOGM summit in Scotland in 1997. He recalled that Mr Mandela “tried to calm the situation” as other governments debated measures to isolate Libya following the Lockerbie bombing.
Dr Sant believes that with racism on the increase, Mr Mandela should be put forward “as an example of someone from Africa who led a politics that was completely anti-racism and anti-racist”.
The Maltese government joined worldwide tributes dedicated to Mr Mandela and said he would long be remembered for his unique way of doing politics. The flag at the Office of the Prime Minister was flying at half mast.
Tributes also poured in from the Labour Party, Nationalist leader Simon Busuttil, Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Arnold Cassola, Speaker Anġlu Farrugia as well as the Malta Humanist Association.