TODAY is Nelson Mandela International Day. The whole global community, irrespective of colour, creed, belief, and political as well as continental divide, will celebrate Mandela Day with a new pledge to carry forward the high ideals of this great man to a new height. This year, the people of the world are in a sombre mood as they observe the day because Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, 94, the icon of peace and harmony, has been in hospital for more than one month.
Mandela is the man who not only freed the black people of South Africa from the clutch of 300 years of apartheid and racial discrimination created by the white colonial rulers but also set an example of political leadership which is unique all the way. He is the man who took up arms to wage war against the inhuman and indescribable oppression and blatant exploitation of the white ruling clique of Pretoria to emancipate the black majority of South Africa. He was elected as the Commander of African National Congress (ANC)'s armed wing. Mandela was put in jail for 27 years by the despotic rulers for his uncompromising stance and relentless struggle against any sort of inhuman and discriminatory treatment to his countrymen.
Mandela, in his famous autobiographical book Long Walk to Freedom, wrote about the concept of leadership in detail and compared it with the shepherd who drives the herd of sheep to its home from the grazing field from behind. He himself is the symbol of this distinctive leadership. Passing the most precious 18 years of his 27 years jail life in an isolated cell of Robben Island, Mandela set an unquestionable example of leading a people, subjugated by the most brutal form of slavery, to the rainbow horizon of freedom.
He led his party and organised his people from behind bars to a political movement to attain the goal of abolition of all racial disparity and segregation. The western world, particularly the US which once branded Mandela as a terrorist, accepted the idea of reconciliation instead of suppressing the dissenting voice and put pressure on the apartheid rulers of Pretoria to stop political oppression and come to a solution acceptable to ANC, Mandela and black majority populace of South Africa. Bowing to the international pressure the white ruler F.W. de Klerk freed Mandela from jail in 1990.
The first election in South Africa with unfettered multiracial adult franchise and participation of all political parties including ANC and de Klerk's ruling National Party (NP) was held in 1994. ANC came out victorious in the election. Mandela became the first black president of the country and formed a government of national unity to set the strife-torn country towards the path of peace. Mandela formed a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address the past scars of apartheid, which was an unprecedented step in the annals of resolving conflicts in the world political arena. He served as president for only one full five-year term and relinquished the post when he was at the zenith of his popularity.
These and many other exceptional leadership attributes in Mandela made him an exceptional statesman, parallel to none in contemporary political history. Mandela loves his people and his people too love him. But Mandela is not the leader of his nation only. He is a leader of world stature. All peace-loving, democratic minded and progressive people the world over respect him and recognise him as their own leader.
Mandela, born in July 18, 1918 in a village in South Africa's Cape Province, had his primary education in a Methodist School, secondary in a Western-style institute in Thembuland, graduation in Forte Hare University, and law in the University of Witwatersrand. He was a founding member of ANC's Youth League. In 2009, United Nations decided to celebrate International Mandela Day every year on the birthday of the world peace hero on July 18. From then on every year Mandela Day has been celebrated with great enthusiasm, much admiration and newer commitment to further the ideals of peace, justice, harmony and social amity to establish a just global order.
We are a very proud nation because we achieved our independence though an arduous armed struggle of nine long months against the colonial Pakistani occupation forces, and because we found this great freedom fighter amidst us during the silver jubilee celebration of our Independence Day in 1997 along with another iconic figure Yasser Arafat of Palestine Liberation Struggle. Today, on the 5th Mandela Day, we pay our rich tribute to this great man.

The writer is Chittagong Bureau Chief, The Daily Star.