The Department of Information: Mahatma Gandhi walked the streets of South Africa, like Nelson Mandela
The government issued a statement in tribute to Nelson Mandela this morning. One of Labour’s extensive collection of fossilized geriatrics must be have written it, and when he did so, he had a senior moment.
PR2743
TRIBUTE TO NELSON MANDELA
Nelson Mandela is a person who will long be remembered for his unique way of doing politics. His non-violent approach, inspired undoubtedly by another political giant who walked the streets of South Africa, Mahatma Gandhi, disarmed and befuddled those who knew only aggression, domination, humiliation and exploitation.
All hell must have broken loose, because another version was trundled out soon afterwards.
TRIBUTE TO NELSON MANDELA
Nelson Mandela is a person who will long be remembered for his unique way of doing politics. His non-violent approach, inspired undoubtedly by another political giant who walked the streets of India, Mahatma Gandhi, disarmed and befuddled those who knew only aggression, domination, humiliation and exploitation.
I waited for the third version, with the second correction, but it never arrived. The ruddy idiots have not yet realised that their correction is equally wrong. Whereas the first version told us that Gandhi “walked the streets of South Africa”, the second version tells us that Nelson Mandela “walked the streets of India”.
That’s what happens when you put people in charge who are strangers to grammar and punctuation.
30 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
But didn’t Gandhi train as lawyer in South Africa?
It wasn’t Gandhi the peacemaker in a loincloth who walked the streets of South Africa.
That was Gandhi the student and, later, the unknown lawyer.
He was also the founder of a movement that stood for the exploited Indian workers who sought their bread and butter in South Africa.
Actually Gandhi spent 21 years is South Africa so the first version is correct
They weren’t completely wrong with their first statement. Gandhi did spend time in South Africa but what would these idiots know.
The first version is correct. Mahatma Gandhi was working in South Africa as a lawyer and an advocator for the rights of Indians there. It was after that that he went to India.
Actually, as a young man, Gandhi did live in South Africa for a while but I doubt those who wrote the first version of the DOI statement were referring to this period.
Gandhi and Mandela have completely befuddled the DOI. Not that the geniuses who work there needed any more befuddlement.
Another one. Miktuba mic-cwiec ghac-cwiec.
I don’t understand the need for the correction the first time round. Mahatma Gandhi did walk the streets of South Africa, though not as dramatically as his Salt March in India. And Mandela has often been compared to Gandhi and often spoke of his admiration for him and how Gandhi was a source of inspiration.
What is even more ridiculous about the statement is that despite the fact that one could write volumes about Mandela, what he stood for and what he achieved, the best this idiot could come up with was a comparison with Gandhi.
[Daphne – Actually what is most obvious to me on reading that DOI statement is that whoever wrote it was thinking of himself/Joseph Muscat. It’s a statement about the ego, not third parties.]
Now even Joseph Muscat the giant will walk the streets of South Africa.
Somehow I can’t see Muscat in a loincloth, walking the streets of South Africa, India or anywhere else.
‘Muscat waddles through the streets of South Africa, where Gandhi and Mandela walked before him.”
No doubt penned by someone who learnt all about it from Ben Kingsley and Morgan Freeman.
Someone who didn’t realise that the rest of the world’s press has avoided the non violence angle, for very good reasons.
Daphne, the first version was perfectly correct.
Just for your information.
This ‘non-violent’ approach thing is a whole load of nonsense. While people like Gandhi, might have adopted a pacific stance, his country folk fought against the oppressor. Pacifism gets you now where. Malta is one fine example.
Next they’ll mix Bundy with Gandhi.Heqq.ghallura, it rhymes.
It sounds as though it was first dictated to DOI over the phone before a correction came through, again over the phone, and was handled wrongly.
“Befuddled” isn’t a word I would automatically associate with pure Labour usage but with switcher usage.
The statement was almost surely written partly in Maltese and the original word could have been ‘ħawwad’ which they translated by using a dictionary.
I say it was only partly written in Maltese because it’s full of English cliches and contains phrases that are found in many websites about Mandela, e.g. “moved from division etc towards forgiveness, etc”.
Gandhi could not have “walked the streets of South Africa”, just as Obama can not “walk the streets of the USA” or David Cameron “the streets of the UK”. One can walk the streets of his home town, but not the country.
But Joseph Muscat can “walk the streets of Malta”, that’s for sure.
Except that he doesn’t, or he wouldn’t be that size.
But barely, Nadine. Have you not seen him at the President’s run/walk, surrounded by ten bodyguards, so no one could touch the icon?
Walking the streets means meeting, greeting, listening and lowering oneself to the level of suffering common folk. But not Joseph ta’ Burmarrad, as he is untouchable.
How very MALTESE.
“Nelson Mandela is a person who will be…”
Oh course he’s a ruddy person, you dolts. What else would he be? A sperm whale?
“Unique way of doing politics.” What in the FUCK is that supposed to mean. So was Bokassa’s way. So was Attila the Hun’s.
We’ll forgive them the “non-violent”.
But yes, this reads like a barb at the Nationalist Party, as in “How dare you confront the government? Be non-violent. Submit to Joseph.”
I watch and weep. Really. I mean, really.
An American friend of mine posted this link on his timeline:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umkhonto_we_Sizwe
I had only read good things about him before, Malta is only a tiny country but if it had been bigger and more important to the world I think our very own Eddie would be a much better role model than Mandela. Indeed he already is to me personally and to many Maltese.
Nothing new, no surprise they can’t vote properly, choose properly, and see what’s right and wrong.
Why befuddled?
Well, at least they didn’t spell it GHANDI.
As others have said and by admission of Mandela himself, Mandela was the first leader and a prime instigator for the formation of Umkhonto we sizwe – spear of the nation the armed faction of the ANC.
He even went for guerrila warfare training so as to be able to know how to lead this faction properly.
Thus the comment “non- violent approach” is erroneous to say the least and is putting the government – yet again in a bad light.
‘Befuddled’ – just like Minister Edward Scicluna was last week when he addressed the EP, a sure sign that he is a great man in the making.