Arafat 'fought for his people'
2004-11-11 09:40
Cape Town - Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat was a man who came across as one fighting for his people and who was prepared to die for them, says South Africa's opposition United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa.
In a statement in reaction to Arafat's death early on Thursday morning in France, Holomisa said: "Having visited Ramallah two years ago, I witnessed first hand the horrible treatment meted out to Mr Arafat by his opponents.
"He came across as a man fighting for his people and who was prepared to die for them. He was a strong leader and refused to live in luxury while his people were suffering.
"Hopefully his successors will be from the same mould.
"The incessant calls for Mr Arafat to renounce violence if he wanted freedom from his military-enforced imprisonment in Ramallah, came ironically from those who are the oppressors.
"In South Africa the apartheid regime used the same tactic of calling on Nelson Mandela to renounce violence if he wanted his freedom, despite the fact that they were the ones using overwhelming coercive military force.
"For a decade now the world has depended on a single superpower to resolve the Middle East question. The results have been unimpressive.
" It is time for the United Nations to assert its role and place this issue at the top of their agenda," said Holomisa.
- I-Net Bridge (News24)