Frank Lautenberg: “this week the people of South Africa will go to the polls to elect new leaders who, at long last, will represent all the…”

“this week the people of South Africa will go to the polls to elect new leaders who, at long last, will represent all the people of that country. The South African elections mark the formal end of the racist apartheid regime and the rule of oppression. They mark the beginning of a new multiracial government in South Africa and an opportunity for the black majority to play a role in charting their own future. The road to democracy for the black majority in South Africa has been filled with pain. It has been marked by oppression and injustice, violence, and suffering. In a profound demonstration of the resilience of the human spirit, the black majority has persevered in their pursuit of fairness and democracy. That they will go to the polls for the first time this week is testament to their tenacity and determination to ensure that their voice will be heard in government. South Africa now stands in the crossroads of change and opportunity as a new nation, one nation for all people. Breaking down the racist apartheid regime of the past has been a long and difficult task for the people of South Africa. I believe economic sanctions were the one tool that had the effect of influencing that country to live up to its responsibility to all of its citizens. The victory of democracy in South Africa is for those who supported the sanctions which made the very movement toward democracy possible.”