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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
Statement by Dr. the Hon. Hubert A. Minnis Prime Minister Commonwealth of The Bahamas on the occasion of the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit United Nations Headquarters (New York) Monday, 24 September 2018: Madam President: I wish to thank you for convening the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in support of global peace. Amidst the wars, conflicts, violence, injustice, hunger and bitter hatreds, which stalk the global commons, we find hope in the commemoration of the centenary of the birth of a noble soul, whose witness to reconciliation and peace is an eternal wellspring for humanity. Peace and justice are as indivisible as the bond of human dignity, which transcends race, creed, ethnicity and every circumstance of birth amidst the exuberant diversity of humanity. In 1985, the Eighth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in The Bahamas, hosted by the late Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling, a leading figure in the struggle for equality and majority rule in The Bahamas.
The Meeting produced the Commonwealth Agreement on South Africa, also known as the Nassau Accord. The Nassau Accord pressed for the then government of South Africa to enter into negotiations with the black majority to end apartheid. The Accord also called on South Africa to end the occupation of Namibia. The struggle for peace and justice is universal. In 2014, Sir Arthur Foulkes, our then head of state, penned a letter to the students of The Bahamas. Sir Arthur wrote of the attainment of majority rule and the second emancipation of The Bahamas in 1967: “That event removed the last psychological shackles from the minds of many; it shattered false notions of superiority or inferiority; it created the foundation upon which to build a society with opportunity for all; it unleashed the hitherto brutally-suppressed but powerful entrepreneurial instincts of a people. …” “It freed many Bahamians from the fear of one another because of differences of colour or ethnic origin.” As we reflect on the centenary anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, and the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, the most enduring witness and testimony we may offer, is the manner of courage of a man of nobility and grace, who was prepared to give his very life in the service of humanity. Madam President, I thank you.
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