South African History Online

Speech by President Mandela to the National Assembly of the Republic of
Mauritius

Port Louis, 12 September 1998

Mr. Speaker
Honourable Members of the National Assembly of
Mauritius
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a great honour and a privilege to have the opportunity to address the
representatives of the Mauritius nation Yesterday, when we laid a wreath at
Samadhi, it was deeply moving to see the symbols with which the Mauritian people
have chosen to represent their nationhood. The bold affirmation of ties with the
four main civilisations - African, Chinese, European and Indian) - which form
the core of a nation which nonetheless has its own distinct Mauritian identity,
is an inspiration to all South Africans.

In a world in which new forms of discrimination and prejudice are emerging
and generating violence and insecurity in many parts of the world, this proud
celebration of unity in diversity is a beacon of hope. It is consistent with the
solidarity of the Mauritian people with our struggle. With your help, and that
of the international community as a whole, we have ended a system that used the
diversity of South Africans to pit one against the other and deny the majority
their basic rights.

As we build a new nation out of the rich tapestry of our cultures, we are
committed to realising those principles of tolerance and mutual respect and
unity which your nation represents.

For us too, there is also great pride, as Africans, in the fact that with
this rich heritage, and situated far from the coast of Africa,20 you became
African not by virtue of geography, but by choice. That this is not some distant
intellectual exercise, or a matter of mere convenience, is clear from the role
of Mauritius in regional and continental affairs.

We have noted before the role that Prime Minster Ramgoolam played as an
African leader when he championed the cause of the continent at the previous
ACP/EU successor agreement summit.

Even though Mauritius, like South Africa, is amongst of the newest members of
SADC, her active participation in the upliftment of our region is already
evident. Mauritius has become a key member in the strategic partnership for
regional development and economic integration, and we look forward with pleasure
to this first SADC annual summit to be hosted on your island.

In keeping with the broader symbolism of the monument at Samadhi, Mauritius
is also playing a critical role in the establishment of the Indian Ocean Rim
Association for Regional Co-operation. Today, with the end of the colonial era,
new conditions allow us to reach out to our Indian Ocean neighbours and revive
ancient links of trade and interaction for our mutual benefit.

If we lay stress on the multilateral organisations in which we work together,
it is because our age has become defined by an increasing interdependence of
nations and regions.

None of us on our own can solve the problems that face us. Instability or
economic problems in one country can impact on its neighbours or even on distant
country's across the world.

This then is the context which led our two countries to join the Southern
African Development Community within a year of each other,20 and to be active
members of the international organisations whose reason for existence is to
assert the interests of the developing countries in the world agenda. It is the
same context which leads us to prize our common membership of associations which
embrace both North and South, such as the Commonwealth and the United Nations.

We are led in these directions by our commitment to democracy, peace,
stability, security, development and equity;20 and by the recognition that the
achievement of these goals by any of us depends on their being achieved by
others. No nation, even the most powerful, can enjoy lasting security while
those around it are mired in poverty.

These commitments and this understanding also guide South Africa in its
programme of reconstruction and development. Our democracy will remain fragile,
and our rights without concrete meaning, if they do not bring real improvements
in the lives of the majority of our people who were left in poverty by
apartheid.

We can report with pride to you, who helped us achieve our freedom and
thereby the opportunity to address that legacy, that we are indeed making steady
but sure progress in making a better for all, especially the poor.

It will take many years before all the needs of all our people are met. But
we can justly celebrate the fact that for literally millions of South Africans,
and most particularly those in rural areas, life is being changed by access to
basic amenities which were only a dream in the recent past, such as clean water,
electricity, telephones and primary health care.

These gains have been made possible also by the work of our nations elected
representatives, who like yourselves are charged with devising the legislative
and policy instruments or instruments. The path of transformation which South
Africa has chosen is a profoundly legal one, and our legislators are therefore
in the forefront of the partnership of all sectors of our society that is
building a better life for all. In order to sustain the progress we have made
and indeed to speed up implementation of our programmes, we are required above
all to achieve sustained growth, so that we can fulfil our central obligation of
eradicating poverty.

Due to the spreading turmoil in the world financial system, no country, rich
or poor, powerful or small, can today contemplate the imperatives of growth
without being aware of how far their success in achieving them can be determined
by developments beyond their control. But although none are immune, the burden
falls disproportionately on the developing countries, setting back efforts to
uplift themselves.

We can escape the worst by strengthening our own economies, as both of our
countries have done and are doing, including through expanding co-operative and
mutually beneficial relationships with each other. South Africa is keen to
expand its economic ties with Mauritius, within the framework of regional
co-operation for development,. That is one of the purposes of our visit, and it
is the purpose of the business and government delegations that have come here
over recent years and will continue to come.

As we build this relationship we will however be obliged to return again and
again to the need to reform the international system which sets the social,
political and economic limits of what can be done at any given time. South
Africa is committed to working with Mauritius and other countries for the
democratisation of international relations and for the achievement of a world
order in which the interests of the poor are reflected.

Honourable members;

Though current developments highlight the economic challenges of development
and the international context in which we must operate, the relations we seek to
build are the all-round bonds of nations sharing their deepest aspirations.

That is why we took advantage of this visit to conclude agreements to
co-operate not only in the economic sphere, but also in sport, culture and the
arts.

It has been an inspiration to visit a country which has distinguished itself
not by military victories or the conquest of others, but for the tolerance it
embodies, for its internationalism, and for its successful pursuit of economic
growth for development.

On my return to South Africa I will be able to report to my people that in
Mauritius we have a friend indeed and a partner for peace, prosperity and equity
as we enter the new millennium.

I thank you.