Earlier this month we learned of the death of F.W. de Klerk, former state president of South Africa. Under his leadership, Nelson Mandela and other black African protestors were freed from prisons and allowed to run for political office. De Klerk and his circle led the way in allowing all South Africans to vote, even though they knew it would be the end of their rule.
I could not help but wonder what it would be like to have a legislature and top leaders who would be willing to make moral choices instead of serving their own interests. If Spencer Cox, Stuart Adams and Brad Wilson were leading South Africa in 1994, apartheid would continue to be the law of the land and white minority rule would likely still be in place.
Utahns occasionally stand up against the super majority in the state. It was refreshing to see the outcry against taxing groceries and the citizens’ initiative to establish an independent boundary commission. But, when given a way to squirrel out of the ethical choice our leaders jumped at it.
For now, we continue only to dream of representation by true statesmen.
Mimsi Harrison, North Salt Lake