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Africa News/South Africa: Dalai Lama 'Wants to Talk Politics in Free SA' - Manuel
Johannesburg — FINANCE Minister Trevor Manuel last night entered the fray over the government's controversial decision to block a visit by the Dalai Lama, justifying the stance and raising questions about the political legitimacy of the Nobel laureate. His fellow Cabinet colleague, Health Minister Barbara Hogan, has on the other hand raised the government's ire by her outspoken objection to the decision which opposition parties and civil society organisations have decried as morally repugnant.
Manuel told a packed gathering at the University of Cape Town that saying anything against the Dalai Lama was in "many quarters equivalent to trying to shoot Bambi", but the question was, who is he?
"Is he just the spiritual leader of the Buddhists in Tibet or is he the one who on March 28 1959 established the government of Tibet in exile in the same way Taiwan was established to counter the legality of a single China?" Manuel asked.
Manuel said one needed to understand the role of the lama in Tibetan history. They had acted as high priests and feudal overlords, which was part of the difficulty.
"The reason why the Dalai Lama wants to be here is to make a big global political statement about the secession of Tibet from China. He wants to do it on the free soil of SA," Manuel said.
"I am sure he is welcome to come at any other time but we should not allow him to raise the global issue that will impact on the standing of SA. Quite frankly this has nothing to do with the PSL (Professional Soccer League). It is a matter of the relationship between states and that is what we have to stand up for."
He was taking part in an election debate with Democratic Alliance CEO Ryan Coetzee, Congress of the People's Phillip Dexter and Independent Democrats MP Lance Greyling.
Dexter said he was not a big fan of the Dalai Lama and he would not want him to rule Tibet as he would like Tibetans to have a democratically elected government in which religion played no part. But that did not mean that the Dalai Lama should not come to speak in SA and that he had no contribution to make.
"With the African National Congress (ANC) government in power, SA's foreign policy is determined by the highest bidder," Dexter said. The government was so keen not to upset the Chinese but was willing to upset its own citizens.
Coetzee said SA's foreign policy had lost its moral compass and was no longer based on human rights.
Also yesterday, ANC national executive committee member Enoch Godongwana advised Hogan to resign.
Godongwana was quoted as saying Hogan's comments were "pandering to the gallery".
"The honourable thing is to resign if she believes government is not committed to the culture of human rights."
With Kgomotso Mathe
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