I rise with a feeling of joy to welcome very much on my own behalf, and I am sure on behalf of the House, the fact that Nelson Mandela has been released from custody after 27 years. He was the longest serving political prisoner that I know of. To put it in perspective, I got married in 1961 and Nelson Mandela has been incarcerated for most of that time. Indeed, a son of mine won a national essay competition in 1978, when he was 15 years of age and the title of the essay was "Apartheid is a crime against humanity". In that essay he mentioned the fact that at that stage Mandela had been incarcerated.
A lot of things have changed since 1978. There is now hope on the horizon that there can be political change in South Africa which would be of benefit not alone to the African National Congress but indeed to everybody in that country which has been buffeted over the past number of years because of the racist policies of the ruling white minority there. I think we can hope that in the coming months there can be a reconciliation between people of different political viewpoints and different colours in that beautiful land of South Africa. "Reconciliation" is the word that has been used by Mandela since his release after many years in custody. In welcoming the release of Mandela, a leading member of the majority political grouping, we must not forget that it took unbelievable courage on behalf of De Klerk to release him. Since Mandela has come out of prison, he has shown that he is willing to work with his people to ensure that South Africa becomes a place of reconciliation and that the South African economy can benefit not alone one section of society but that there can be a reconciliation of minds so that the economic situation for the majority black population can be improved to the point that their standards equal those which the white minority groupings have enjoyed for the past number of years.
There are, of course, people on both sides of the political spectrum in South Africa who will use the release of Nelson Mandela for their own ends. There is within that country a desire for peace, a peace which will give hope to people there, irrespective of their colour or religion, and that a community will emerge which will be of benefit to everybody. There are huge problems to be confronted — social, educational, commercial, and also in the field of transportation. These problems might seem to be at this stage insurmountable, but, if both sides work together, it will give hope to what is a beautiful country.
Nelson Mandela epitomised a struggle and the need to continue a struggle for what he believed in. There were times when he could have possibly got out of jail if he had bowed down to the demands being made by Governments in South Africa, but he did not do so because he believed in the right of his people to play a major part in their own country. Politically speaking it is a time of hope throughout the world. I am sure that events in South Africa and Eastern Europe will be looked at very carefully by people closer to home, people on our own island, who will ponder the fact that in South Africa a political, economic and social system can emerge which accommodates people from every part of the political spectrum and of all colours.
I welcome the release of Nelson Mandela and I pray that the extremists will realise that his release is not going to have the enormous devastating effect on the economy of South Africa that a lot of white supremists would like to see. To his wife, Winnie, who has stood by him through all the trauma of his incarceration, and to his family, we send our good wishes. The case of Nelson Mandela will not be forgotten by those who want to see peace and reconciliation in the world. I would again like to place on record the fact that this House welcomes the release of Nelson Mandela and hopes that it results in a peaceful future for South Africa.