Sir John defied the Iron Lady in bid to bring down apartheid
FORMER premier, Sir John Swan defied British external affairs in the late 1980s to launch "sanctions" against South Africa - despite warnings from then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Sir John told the Mid-Ocean News this week that he was "awakened" to the extent of apartheid after attending top secret meetings between members of the South African National Party and the then-banned African National Congress (ANC) at Lantana Cottage Club in 1989 and 1990.
He said that, as a direct result of the meetings at Lantana and also because of the work done by the Anti-Apartheid Coalition in Bermuda at the time, he attempted to participate in the sanction process, but was told by the British this was "not on".
"When I confronted Mrs. Thatcher about it, her comments were very simple — that Britain had a ten percent unemployment rate, had about a million British citizens living in South Africa and that trade between Britain and South Africa resulted in about 600,000 people working in various areas in trade in Britain that could become unemployed," he recalled.
However Sir John felt that because of the relationship between Bermuda and the Americas — which had full sanctions in place against South Africa at the time — as well as the general feeling amongst both black and white Bermudians, the island needed to put pressure on South Africa by putting sanctions in place.
"We asked merchants to cease importation of goods, especially wine," he said, adding that there was a spirit of co-operation in that process and everyone did what they could.
"Even though we could not do it legally, we could do it individually," he recalled with a smile.
Over the years Sir John has developed a bond with South Africa and believes the island can learn from the country that revels in its cultural diversity.
During a recent trip to Cape Town, he visited the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront where artists, including poets, musicians and painters, are given the opportunity to display and perform on a daily basis.
He felt Bermuda could benefit from having a similar venue in Hamilton which would allow culture to become the "cement" that bonds the process of governance and relationships between blacks and whites.
"That's what we need here. It's fine that we should build back of town, but we should also build town that town belongs to Bermudians and foreigners in terms of mingling together, because unless you do that it will always be them and us," he said.
He challenged the Premier's wife to continue her efforts for a foundation for art and music in Bermuda.
"I hope we never got confused between the support we should give that, as opposed to our various interests and dislikes of politics," he said.
"I believe the Premier's wife can play a major role in bringing together the various aspects of our community and from abroad — of how our society can be knitted together and take away the feeling of black and white or 'we' and 'they'."
