Corné Mulder: FF Plus MP said;
“The ANC government’s delay in issuing a visa to the Dalai Lama to visit South Africa this week is malicious and indicative of government departments’ incompetence. It is not standard practice to take more than 14 days with the issuing of a visa to a prominent figure such as the Dalai Lama. Political considerations played a role in the Department of International Relations’ slow reaction to the application for a visa by the Dalai Lama,” was the reaction of Dr. Corné Mulder, the FF Plus’ spokesperson on International Relations, to the announcement that the Dalai Lama has cancelled his visit to South Africa.
“The ANC is too spineless to decide whether the Dalai Lama may visit South Africa and therefore made it impossible for him to travel to South Africa. It was a wise decision of the Dalai Lama to cancel his visit to South Africa as two days before his departure he still does not have a visa. Should he not have had his visa in time for his departure he would have had to cancel his ticket which would have cost him dearly. Unfortunately the Dalai Lama is now saving the ANC government the embarrassment to acknowledge publicly that they do not want the Dalai Lama in South Africa due to their fear of the Chinese government,” Dr. Mulder said.
The ANC government, which prides itself in its democratic principles, once again proves that it has double standards as not every person, according to the ANC, is welcome in SA. South Africa which is part of the BRICS countries wants to promote its relationship with China by turning its back on the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama received a visa from the government of Brazil to visit that country in September. The ANC government however does not have the same courage to remain politically independent from foreign governments and to decide for itself whether Nobel Peace Laureates, such as the Dalai Lama, are welcome in the country.
The FF Plus will continue to put pressure on the ANC government through international forums such as UNPO, of which both the FF Plus and Tibet are members, to recognise minority rights and not to discriminate against minority leaders such as the Dalai Lama.
The FF Plus will be liaising with Bishop Desmond Tutu to propose that he forms a Dalai Lama coalition which will invite the Dali Lama to South Africa again.
According to the government, it never denied the Dalia Lama a visa but it was still under consideration when the Dalai Lama cancelled his trip to South Africa. If this is indeed the case, the government will get a second chance to approve the visa. If the government does not intend to grant a visa to the Dalai Lama clarity about this situation could be obtained.
Such a Dalai Lama coalition must not be a political organisation but should be constituted from organisations and friends which are favourably disposed to the Dalai Lama and would stand in for the arrangements of such a visit to South Africa.
Such a visit by the Dalai Lama could be un-official or could coincide with International Human Rights Day which falls on Saturday 10 December of 2011. It is in the interest of South Africa’s international image that clarity is reached about this issue. It is quite meaningful that the Dalai Lama had visited Brazil, which is also a member of the Brics countries, in September of this year.
