President Obama‘s first political cause was the fight against apartheid as a student at Occidental College. Hear how Mandela’s life shaped the President of the United States.
President Obama’s Speech – Nelson Mandela Memorial
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Burning_Issue / December 10, 2013
MR at the stadium listening to Obama speech; will it awaken any Mandela spirit in him I wonder!
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mike / December 10, 2013
Hitlerpaksha’s presence would be like a moth on a sea of heads!
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Spring Koha / December 12, 2013
There was MR was all togged up in best arya-sinhala and ready to speak (on behalf of the almighty commonwealth?) but he was not called. On the other hand, Pres.Zuma had his CHOGM moment when the crowd gave him an almighty booing; will MaRa ever get that treatment in Colombo? As for a bit of the Mandela spirit in MR – Don’t hold your breath!
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Ben Hurling / December 10, 2013
Yep. Our King was there. Mugabe was there too. Listening to Obama’s remarks about Mandela’s willingness to step down after just one term. Our King has nothing in common with Mandela’s legacy. His presence at this gathering was just another waste of public funds of Sri Lanka. Just like CHOGM. Cheers!
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Ben Hurling / December 10, 2013
Apparently, according to Obama “Mandela also rejected a life of luxury & fortune”. Cannot be music for Rajapassa’s ears. Who is without shame swimming in unprecedented comfort. At poor Sri Lankan taxpayers’ expense. Self appointed Crown Prince is getting ready for yet another round of “Colombo Night Car Races”..ha..ha! Need of the hour. In a country, where 70% cannot put enough food on the table. Our King is truly in “No Man’s Land”. Cheers!
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Palmsquirrell / December 11, 2013
Namal as “Crown Prince ” , I like that. –Lankaweb is reporting that sandbags for the Colombo Night Race cost 21.5 million rupees . The total cost is not mentioned.– Well Rajapaksa can always claim that Colombo Night Races will bring in tourism . — These guys are tone deaf, because don’t they realize the poor masses see this waste of public funds as a slap on their faces.
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M.Sivananthan / December 11, 2013
But Obama did not say about his investments of millions in China.
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Javi / December 13, 2013
Kallathoni Sinhala Buddhist bumsuck, If you have nothing to say don’t say it- granny’s advice.
An Obama spokesman called the comparison “an absurd false equivalence.”
Mr. Obama’s future pension is fixed, and the payout won’t be affected by the performance of any individual investments.The Romney campaign said afterward that the GOP nominee was referring to Mr. Obama’s Illinois pension, which the president in his ethics filings has valued at between $50,000 and $100,000.
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mechanic / December 11, 2013
So you wish MR would have resigned after one term and set aside the voter expectation but let separatist and NGO cliques to manipulate and elevate RanilW or some other Johnny of neo-colonialists choosing to be our President. And you think that’s democracy and everything will be fine thereafter? I am telling you, that Johnny will fail miserably and there will be so much bickering and unrest, all this peace would have gone and this country will be in a worse state than in the late eighties. But that’s exactly what Eelamists want I suppose.
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Ben Hurling / December 11, 2013
Mechanic, Your King “Johnny” did not win even the first term. He manipulated victory. Thanks to a brutally enforced election boycott in northern Sri Lanka by VP’s terrorist outfit. King Johnny cheated his way to a victory in the 2nd term as well. Now the 18th amendment is in place. Therefore we have a local Johnny Mugabe or a Johnny Suharto in the making. Who thinks Sri Lanka is his family property. We are now a lawless Banana Republic. A nation run by King Johnny’s gigantic family, underworld cronies & Casino henchmen. You are welcome to believe in the myth & the lie of a benevolent dictator called King Johnny protecting our country. Despite the overwhelming systemic evidence that his entourage is actually looting Sri Lanka 24/7. Besides, we live in a country with millions of talented professionals. NASA alone employs nearly 100 Sri Lankans. What makes you think King Johnny’s numerous, uneducated family members are the only ones who can govern Sri Lanka? Utter rubbish. Cheers!
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mechanic / December 11, 2013
“Your King “Johnny” did not win even the first term.” Any stupid even with a pea size brain can see, Velu had put that win in MR’s platter not for him to get killed but to push through his own winning streak and establish his pipe dream, the mono racist Eelam. But genius in MR send megalomaniac Velu and his gang to hell in less than four years. And Sri Lankans enjoy true peace after 33 years since Wadukkodai resolution of Thantai Chelva commanded Tamils to take up arms and never to lay it down until Eelam is won. And your aim is to destroy that peace.
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Ben Hurling / December 11, 2013
Mechanic, I thank the average SL soldier. Who sacrificed everything to end blood thirsty LTTE’s rule. I am also grateful to the average Tamil citizen of the north for enduring unimaginable cruelty & hardship. Caught in the crossfire & violent excesses during all this. We as a country did not go through all this to transfer all benefits to build a family dynasty in Hambantota area. You must have misunderstood. Or are you a beneficairy yourself? Further, by ignoring rule of law, by committing crimes against citizens, the power hungry Rajapassa clan is playing into the hands of those behind Wadukkodai resolution. And those who are waiting in the wings. Looking for geo-political exploitations. Rajapssa clan cannot appreciate all this or do not care. They care about family rule forever. But, Sri Lanka will pay the price. Rajapassa is like a God given gift to Ealamistas. Cheers!
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M.Sivananthan / December 11, 2013
I support Mahinda for defeating LTTE criminals who were backed by UK/USA and their interests.
I agree there are some undesirables around him and benefit.
Then who is the alternative to MR? Surely no RANIL gang who carved out an area for LTTE and allowed LTTE to continue to kill Tamils!
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gamini / December 11, 2013
Ben Hurling can you kindly explain why VP after boycotting the Presidential Election to make certain that MR won the Presidency, bury all the heavy artillery of the LTTE and abandoned their stronghold Kilinochchi and moved to a beach front and allowed all the Tamil Civilians to move to the Forces side, to simply get massacred? Why are the Americans and the Indians covertly helping MR, safeguarding many a Forces Personnel, some even being appointed as Diplomats? In spite of false threats on MR about War Crimes do you seriously believe the Americans and the Indians will hold War Crimes against MR? For your information no soldiers died in the thirty months from Jan 2007 to May 2009 as there was no direct confrontation between the LTTE and the Forces, but both sides carried a propaganda war for public consumption. The false War Propaganda was carried through the MCNS in the absence of UN and the Red Cross removed from the war front at the behest of the Americans not to have witnesses when the Forces Killed the unarmed LTTE numbering over Forty Thousand when they tried to surrender.
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Ben Hurling / December 12, 2013
Gamini, This must be the mother of all conspiracy theories. Man, you need mental help. Cheers!
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gamini / December 12, 2013
Ben I do not know who needs mental help? These events were revealed not by me and had you seen the array of artillery that the LTTE had buried which were displayed at ‘Deyata Kirula Exhibition’ then VP must have been a fool to have buried even a single weapon or to have fought the last battle from the beach front sans weapons and also not from the stronghold Kilinochchi that had enough Bunkers to take cover. Common sense!
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Native Vedda / December 11, 2013
Ben Hurling …….. “NASA alone employs nearly 100 Sri Lankans.” ……. as toilet cleaners? ………. That is what I am learning from comments in this forum….
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Ben Hurling / December 11, 2013
Native, I am surprised this came from a dignified class warrior such as yourself. Where did I misunderstand you? Labour of sanitary worker’ is not appreciated somehow? Considered menial and low class? How and where would high ranking NASA academics, executives & astronauts relieve of themselves? If not for extremely critical & sensitive services provided by so called “toilet cleaners”? Cheers!
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Native Vedda / December 11, 2013
Ben Hurling …… This is what I wrote earlier ::: … That is what I am learning from comments in this forum…. …….
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Binaramali Jaykody / December 11, 2013
I wonder whether MR got the message of the valuable contents of obama^s speech… even if he is given the chance to sit with them today. MR could have worked on the improvement of human rights in the country long back now, if he really wanted to. He is not just a leader that is born yesterday. But as one who marched for a period of 43 years should be very clear the need our people… unfortunately, the behaviour of MR is miles away from that of Mandela, if one would feel that MR is the leader to bring sustainable peace and harmony within our own folks.
Alone the increasing numbers of high crime incidents reported within 2013 made it clearer to anyone who is sane.
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Joe / December 11, 2013
MR went their to meet world leadrs. Man Mohan Singh wanted to go there but decided not to go last minute as MR was going there. MR was sidelined and no body spoke to him. Can we see any pictures MR hand shaking to any world leaders or anybody else. Just siting there and yearning.
Who ever hand shaked with MR are not in power or in crises or they have been killed because MR IS A CURSED MAN.
Libiya/Iran/Parkistan/Maldives/Thailand/Syriya/Australia. India next in line.
All the world leaders went their as a team with their opposition party members in the same aircraft. Did MR took anyone with him? No. Why?
MR is a JERK.
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M.Sivananthan / December 11, 2013
Manmohan did not go because of the defeats in the state elections. Sonia and Singh are still unable to justify the defeats. So, dont dream something not connected.
British PMs and Canadian PMs were there. None of them were given the podium for any speech. Why? They bark too much about Human Rights with LTTE diaspora dollar collectors!
No leaders hand shaked with these PMs. How?
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Binaramali Jaykody / December 11, 2013
Why should MR (a leader of 20 mio, poor country) be there if INDIAN premier (a leader of 1.2 Billion, one of poor but a powerful nations) did not attend it..
is this not adding an another huge sum to the highly bankrupted air bills of the current regime ?
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Kettikaran / December 11, 2013
Binaramali,
I thought it should have been only our fork-tongued External Affairs Minister the Professori.
What is the Agenda in this 4-day “State” Visit to Kenya? How to escape the noose from De Haag – a Kenyan worry too? Uhuru Kenyatta finds the UNHRC heat too much and now agrees to testify via telelink.
Kettikaran
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Spring Koha / December 12, 2013
There was MR was all togged up in best arya-sinhala and ready to speak (on behalf of the almighty commonwealth?) but he was not called. On the other hand, Pres.Zuma had his CHOGM moment when the crowd gave him an almighty booing; will MaRa ever get that treatment in Colombo? As for a bit of the Mandela spirit in MR – Don’t hold your breath!
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ismathulla cader / December 10, 2013
good learning material for Mr
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sach / December 10, 2013
The only thing this man does is giving speeches!
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Navin / December 10, 2013
He must have learnt about maintaining “kill list” and using drones from Mandela too!
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gamini / December 11, 2013
Sach absolutely, only rhetoric. His speeches are ‘All Fart No Shit’.
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ala / December 10, 2013
Claim solidariy with Madiba’s struggle but does not tolerate dissent at home – SL in action. We do not have good leaders with ideals but crooks.
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Ajith / December 10, 2013
Dear Excellency MR,
Can you shed at least a drop of water from your eyes for those who were killed by you?
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M.Sivananthan / December 11, 2013
How can he drop tears for the LTTE criminals who were killed?
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Banda / December 10, 2013
Never mind the mostly hypocritical speeches. Let’s talk about the first major segregation law, ‘The Natives Land Act’ was passed by Parliament of South Africa in 1913. With that law, all minority Africana regimes of whites had force segregated blacks into areas called ‘Bantu lands’. And that system remained a cornerstone of Apartheid until the 1990s. // Needless to say then ‘Bantu Land’ concept degrades humanity. But neocons who cry for Human Rights in Sri Lanka every now and then did nothing for fifty years until after 1966 when United Nations Resolution 2145 was adopted by the general Assembly. Even then up until Mandela was released, David Cameron like characters helped apartheid regimes in sanction busting. // Amazingly, we in Sri Lanka even today have a somewhat similar segregation law called ‘Thesawalame’ in our common law. Not surprisingly ‘Thesawalame’ was codified in the eighteenth century by the Dutch colonials who were the very ancestors of said Africana. Colonialists aim was to hold on to Vellalah labourers who were imported from India to toil in their tobacco plantations in Jaffna. And since, ‘Thesawalame’ law made the entire Jaffna peninsula a Tamil ‘Bantustan’ within Sri Lanka. // Most Tamils of Jaffna helped LTTE to fight a terrorist war. Their aim was to retain their ‘Bantustan’ which they call their ‘Home land’. Today, Tamils of Jaffna and surrounding areas has overwhelmed NPC with a set of demagogic politicians to plan for a new roadmap to keep everyone other than Tamils out of their ‘Bantustan’ till they get Eelam.
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Ben Hurling / December 11, 2013
Interesting stuff Banda, if correct. Specially about the origin of utterly discriminating “Thesawalame” law. Funny, none of the other in-house intellectuals who comment on CT ever bothered to debate “Thesawalame” law”. Cheers!
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Native Vedda / December 11, 2013
Ben Hurling ……….. Have you ever bothered to have cursory reading of Thesawalamay?……… If I remember correctly I did discuss this in Transcurrent some years ago…… Thesawalamay is all about caste class exclusion and not race specific……….
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Ben Hurling / December 11, 2013
Native, Nope, Never saw your input in Transcurrents. Thank you anyway. Now, if you do not mind, I would prefer to rename this law as “HATHWALAME LAW” in Sinhalese. What else can you call something that excludes fellow human beings in a society in this time and age? Cheers!
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Burning_Issue / December 11, 2013
Ben, Again you misunderstood Thesawalami; its a pity! Please read my reply to Banda. I debated this very subject on Groundviews extensively and established that Thesawalami does not discriminate any outsiders; it is a custom for the Jaffna people. If you can prove that non-Jaffna people have been discriminated on the account of Thesawalami, I will take my hat off! By the way, a 1989 court case had established that, Thesawalami law applies to the Jaffna Tamils living outside of jaffna as well! I agree it is discriminatory only on the basis that a title of a property does not automatically pass on the a wife when a husband dies; she cannot sell it without first offering it to the relations. The relations must pay prevailing market price. If an outsider can pay over and above the market price, the wife can sell! This is no different from any other sale but a wife is not treated equally; this needs to change!
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M.Sivananthan / December 11, 2013
What about the Kandyan laws?
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Native Vedda / December 11, 2013
Banda …….. “Amazingly, we in Sri Lanka even today have a somewhat similar segregation law called ‘Thesawalame’ in our common law. Not surprisingly ‘Thesawalame’ was codified in the eighteenth century by the Dutch colonials who were the very ancestors of said Africana.”……… ……………………………………………………………….Could we now discuss the Kandyan Laws (1939), what the law was intended for, its implication to binna or dinna marriages ………………………. If you have no idea of Kandyan Law please feel free to ignore my request…..
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Ben Hurling / December 11, 2013
Native, You have a good point too. I am specially into “Binna” marriages under Kandyan Law. Though I would love to benefit from somebody else’s property via “Binna”, I have no idea how “Binna” works. Never heard of “Dinna”. My only hope is Banda’s depth of knowledge in these matters. Cheers!
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Binaramali Jaykody / December 11, 2013
Ben@,
Try to meet a senior from that area (Kandy). I am not sure the views that you think would add by Banda (though could be considered an unhealthy senior of the nation in his early 70ties) could be reliable.
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Burning_Issue / December 11, 2013
Banda, Please do not expose your ignorance on public forum! Thesawalami Law was a custom that was developed within the Jaffna kingdom. It was purely a custom and that was not designed to discriminate anyone as the Jaffna was a separate kingdom. All that the Dutch did was to codify and incorporate it officially in practicing law. Remember, Jaffna was being administrated separately until 1938 when the British amalgamated the three kingdoms into one. Thesawalami remained applicable for Jaffna Tamils exclusively. After the amalgamation, it does not matter as to where a Tamil lives in Sri Lanka, Thesawalami applies! Nevertheless, Thesawalami has never prevented non-Jaffna Tamils from buying land or property in Jaffna. If you challenge me on this, you will need to provide evidence. I hope from now on, you will be refrained from talking about Thesawalami to feed your bigotry!
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Ben Hurling / December 11, 2013
Burning_Issue,
To make matters easy for all parties concerend. Can’t we just scrap this despicable “HATHWALAME LAW”? Just asking. Is it possible? I am no legal luminary. Cheers!
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Burning_Issue / December 11, 2013
Ben to term it despicable you will need to have appropriate rational! Why is it despicable when it does not bother anyone else? What is wrong with a custom that has been practiced for centuries as a means of solving family disputes? Having said that, I have no issues in repealing it only on the basis of equality of women’s rights. The Sinhala Buddhist Chauvinists have used this to support their bigoted mindset; people like Banda who seeks out materials to feed their bigotry will buy it easily!
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K.A Sumanasekera / December 11, 2013
…If Words can fill Tummies,there won’t be Any Hungry People in South Africa today….
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The Penetrator / December 11, 2013
Great speech mate.. A lot of people can talk the talk, but inside them they are rotten to the core.. Who ever is above controlling you, go tell them to fuck themselves, because the time is coming very soon for all the cockroaches to come out and play.. Mandella was a great great man, don’t you dare try to associate or thank him, you cockroach, it’s people like you that made him what he was.. Now you and your gang try to take his side?? It’s great propaganda for the people, but it just won’t work this time my friend…
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One Term / December 11, 2013
“There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people”. I wonder how many digested that. MR had the power to become the a true hero in the history if he was bold enough. He uses power all got wrong reasons. What a waste.
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Binaramali Jaykody / December 11, 2013
Yes, immediately, his forces liberated the AREAS from the tamil rebels, I was also in the opinion, MR would surely bring sustainable peace AMONG the all folks in our island. Sadly, looking at the way how he handled it since then (within the last 5 years) – alone give more than enough evidences that he is marching on a totally other direction. Allowing him to march in this way – is no more acceptable.
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RajasH / December 11, 2013
Obama is great at making speeches period.
There is a phrase recenlty coined ” give a crisis to Obama and he will make a great speech about it”.
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Javi / December 13, 2013
He is being realistic like Madiba.
He is no Boston Brahmin.
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Saro / December 11, 2013
We know MR is not the follower of Lord Buddha as he has not renounced his power and is contemplating to go on after the usual second term. Nelson Mandela ‘stepped down from power’ after one term of his presidency although it was 100% certain he would have continued by winning any number of elections. President Obama also advised leaders like MR not to imprison people for what they look alike or different from you. And he went on to quote Nelson Mandela to liberate ethnic minorities in “it is impossible until it is done” so do not hide behind JHU or BBS, do what is right. He also reminded that Mandela brought out what is ‘best inside us’. So it a challenge for president Mahinda Rajapakse to bring the perpetrators of HR violations to book and stop happening hereafter. Will he take the challenge or not depends on how much goodness is inside him.
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Davidson Panabokke / December 11, 2013
CT
Pl post the transcript for people to read, re-read, …..
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Thrishantha / December 11, 2013
In his book Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela says – “A leader. . .is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.”
This is how good leaders empower Nations. It is those full of paranoia, weakness, and fear, confine the front to family and relatives, and stays in the front without nurturing other common people.
May those countries who played the invisible international leadership behind the struggle of South Africans to release Mandela never perish from this earth.
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Patriot / December 11, 2013
Another beautiful speech by the President. The oratorical skills, humanity, empathy and passion that took him from being an obscure attorney to a US senator and then POTUS were on full display.
We can’t forget that May 2009 took place on President Obama’s watch. It took place while there were hundreds of young Tamil boys and girls outside the gates of the Whitehouse pleading for his help. Ultimately, the endgame that unfolds on our island is as much part of President Obama’s legacy as it is MR’s. Apart from a short press conference at the rose garden during the height of the war where he appealed to the GOSL to temporarily put aside the “political questions”, and focus on protecting civilians, there hasn’t been any public words by the POTUS regarding the human rights situation in SL. His second term ends in 2016. That means there is a 3 year window for him to make known to the world what his thoughts as POTUS are on the Tamil people, their struggle for self determination and the raw deal that was dealt to them in May 2009.
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gamini / December 11, 2013
Patriot, what is so beautiful about the speech, when this bugger does not mean what he says. See my comment above, to Ben Hurling about the LTTE war, to understand who were really behind MR and VP. These are the play makers who manage wars and stage elections in other countries for their benefit alone.
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K.A Sumanasekera / December 12, 2013
So PM Manmohan didn’t go to say adios…Wonder why… India then was at the forefront of the supporters of the ANC, when ‘Castro’s brave soldiers were protecting poor Blacks in homelands from the marauding Afrikarner Forces of the Apartheid with the resources provided by the Russians……..Ex PM Malcolm of Australia was not in the picture either.. Fraser from Australia is the only Western Leader who backed the Blacks against the Apartheid Regime…….But the Sanctions Busting Jolly takers were the biggest mourners in the front row…. However it was some consolation to see the American Prez kissing Castro’s Sister in Law and shaking hands with the Brother… May be Obama wanted to thank the Castros personally for helping fellow Blacks……
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Burning_Issue / December 12, 2013
PM Manmohan is not the head of state!
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / December 12, 2013
A great speech that will stand the test of time, like the Gettysburg address of Abraham Lincoln. It was about Nelson Mandela, but also about each and everyone of us. It was a lesson in nation building for the whole world and in our context, for Sri Lanka and for our President who was in the audience. It was also for the TNA and Justice Wigneswaran,in particular. It was message that condensed everything wise and humane said by elevated souls over the millennia. I hope we benefit from this sad day in our history and the ability of President Obama to interpret transcending values from the life and times of Nelson Mandela for us, as no one else could have bettered. Goodbye, President Mandela. Thanks, President Obama.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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Lasantha Pethiyagoda / December 12, 2013
Leaders should be judged by their actions and what they achieve for their followers (ordinary citizens at large). In that regard, Mandela looms larger than life. Speeches are any politician’s natural forte and should never be accorded the same status as achievements and sacrifices made by true leaders over the years.
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Fathima Fukushima / December 12, 2013
Tamils can go to South Africa and live with Navi Pee-Illey.
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