NEW DELHI, 1 February 2007 — South Africa’s crusader against apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, was awarded the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2005 yesterday. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presented him the award at a special ceremony held in the president’s house. Carrying a Rs. 10 million cash prize, the award is given to people making outstanding contribution to social, economic and political fields through nonviolence and other peaceful means.
A jury chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh selected Tutu for the award during its meeting on Sept. 26 last year. Other jury members were Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha L.K. Advani, former President R. Venkataraman and former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral. Earlier recipients of the Gandhi Peace Prize, which was instituted in 1995 to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, include former President of Czechoslovakia Vaclav Havel (2003), former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela (2000) and former President of Tanzania Julius Nyerere (1995), among others.
Tutu’s reverence for Gandhian ideals was evident, earlier this week, during his address at the two-day international conference on “Peace, Nonviolence and Empowerment.”
“There is no way we can win the war against terror till we address the conditions which make some of the people desperate and our brothers and sisters are treated as rubbish,” he said. He emphasized that peace and stability could be achieved in conflict zones such as Iraq, Sri Lanka, Chechnya, Myanmar and West Asia through negotiations, compromise and attempts by warring parties to understand one another. Those who inflicted suffering on fellow human beings were forgotten, but the world has deep reverence for great people such as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Aung San Suu Kyi, Tutu said.
Tutu is the first black person to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa. He gained worldwide recognition for playing a leading role as an opponent of apartheid. Through his writings and lectures at home and abroad, Tutu consistently worked for reconciliation among all parties involved in apartheid. This also earned him acclaim as a unifying figure campaigning to resolve the apartheid problem in South Africa, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October, 1984. Following the fall of apartheid, Tutu headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, for which he was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999.
Tutu is also known as an advocate of human rights and democracy in Palestine and Indonesia. Tutu’s consistent criticism of human rights abuse is considered a great moral support for the oppressed everywhere.
By honoring Tutu, India has paid “tribute to an extraordinary man, who by his fearlessness, selflessness and dedication to the cause of humanity upheld those ideals which were dearest to Gandhi,” according to an official press release.
