Gone and hopefully permanently forgotten

By Stanley Collymore

 

Never speak ill of the dead we’re constantly and solemnly exhorted

regardless of who they are or the life that they freely chose to live,

as they’re no longer around, is the lame and unconvincing excuse

that’s often and dishonestly given in explanation, to rebut or

defend their name, any accusations or adverse criticisms,

however concrete or valid they might be, being made

against them; and in those circumstances therefore

to then embark on such a plan would in itself be

quite unbecoming while serving as nothing

more than a cheap and cowardly way of

attempting to exact one’s own revenge.

 

But hang on a moment, how truly valid is this

simplistic and supposedly moral exhortation; and why should the

intervention of death, distinct from any other known phenomenon, be the

sole exculpation for someone’s life-long sins and premeditated wrongdoings

that disparagingly have callously, schemingly, perniciously, quite methodically and

comprehensively destroyed the lives of so many who were exclusively picked on

and especially targeted for reasons of dogmatic political ideology, or those

specifically and illogically associated with their race or ethnicity?

 

I was never a miner viewed as the country’s low-life and thus

malevolently castigated as the enemy within, but I am

and have longstandingly been a proud trade

unionist whose movement just as

viciously by this self-centred,

venal and privileged elite was likewise tarred

with the same condemnatory brush and

scandalously branded the same.

 

Similarly, I was an anti-apartheid activist firmly

committed, as I always will be, to the noble concept globally of the

universality of human rights, equality for all human beings and the ultimate

eradication of racism, tirelessly working also in tandem for freedom of expression by

everyone, genuine democracy and the lawful and moral right to withhold one’s labour,

and particularly so in manufactured industrial disputes specifically designed to disrupt the

cohesion, deliberately break-up and ruthlessly destroy the bargaining rights of all trade unions.

 

So why would I, or anyone else for that matter with a social conscience, want to actually

eulogize and not rightly despise someone who, while together with their husband was

profiting massively financially from South Africa’s apartheid system, none the

less perversely saw fit to label Nelson Mandela a terrorist and roundly

vilify the ANC as a terrorist organization, while astonishingly and

without a modicum of regret laud the architects of apartheid

and the ardent supporters of institutionalized racism

as the veritable champions of democracy?

 

Unless, of course, such individuals have short or convenient

memories and are themselves a complete abomination of what society,

which we were told by this woman doesn’t exist, or come to that humanity

should actually represent! So I’ve no apologies to make or will I relent from

the stance I’ve taken because Death, inevitable to us all, has finally,

and some would justifiably say, long-sufferingly and somewhat

kindly stepped in and brought the life of yet another tyrant to its end.

So feel free those of you who want to eulogize or even dress yourself up

in sackcloth and ashes if you wish amidst your contrived beating

of chests and sorrowful refrains; but in doing so, I’d like for

you in your unrestrained orgy of engineered anguish

and false grief to jointly entreat you to abstain

from ever doing any of this in my name.

 

© Stanley V. Collymore

12 April 2013.

 

 

WE brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord. 1 Tim. vi. 7. Job i. 21.