[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 116 (Tuesday, July 15, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H6507-H6510]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING NELSON MANDELA ON HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1090) honoring the esteemed former President Nelson 
Rolihlahla Mandela on the occasion of his 90th birthday, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1090

       Whereas Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born to the Thembo 
     Dynasty in Mvezo in the Umtata District of Transkei, South 
     Africa, on July 18, 1918;
       Whereas he joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 
     1942 and in 1944 joined with other young dissidents to form 
     the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL), which 
     embraced African nationalism and began building a mass 
     movement;
       Whereas after the National Party came to power in an all-
     white election in 1948 on a platform of apartheid, a system 
     of strict racial segregation, the ANC adopted the Programme 
     of Action, inspired by the ANCYL, which advocated the use of 
     boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience, and noncooperation 
     against the National Party's apartheid policies;
       Whereas, in 1952, after being designated volunteer-in-chief 
     of the Defiance Campaign Against Unjust Laws, Nelson Mandela 
     traveled the country, organizing resistance to discriminatory 
     legislation;
       Whereas in recognition of his outstanding contribution 
     during the Defiance Campaign, Nelson Mandela was elected to 
     the presidency of both the ANCYL and the Transvaal region of 
     the ANC at the end of 1952, earning him a position as deputy 
     president of the ANC itself;
       Whereas, after the banning of the ANC in 1960 and the 
     continued violent response to the ANC's nonviolent methods, 
     Nelson Mandela led the effort to set up Umkhonto we Sizwe 
     (``Spear of the Nation''), the armed resistance organization 
     of the ANC;
       Whereas, in 1964, Nelson Mandela and 9 of his fellow 
     leaders of the ANC and Umkhonto we Sizwe were arrested, 
     charged with treason, and brought to trial for plotting the 
     violent overthrow the Government of South Africa;
       Whereas in his statement at the opening of the defense case 
     in the historic Rivonia Treason Trial on April 20, 1964, in 
     which he and 9 other ANC leaders were tried for 221 acts of 
     sabotage designed to ``ferment violent revolution'' to 
     overthrow the apartheid system, Nelson Mandela use his 
     oratory skills as a legal advocate to lay out the reasoning 
     for the ANC's choice to use acts of sabotage as a tactic to 
     defeat apartheid, as doing otherwise would have been 
     tantamount to unconditional surrender;
       Whereas he closed his statement with these words: ``During 
     my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the 
     African people. I have fought against White domination, and I 
     have fought against Black domination. I have cherished the 
     ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons 
     live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is 
     an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if 
     needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.'';
       Whereas on June 12, 1964, 8 of the accused, including 
     Nelson Mandela, were sentenced to life imprisonment;
       Whereas, from 1964 to 1982, Nelson Mandela was incarcerated 
     at Robben Island Prison, off the coast of Cape Town, and 
     thereafter at Pollsmoor Prison, nearby on the mainland;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela consistently refused to compromise 
     his political demands for freedom and equality for all South 
     Africans to obtain his freedom while in prison;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela became widely accepted around the 
     world as one of the most significant leaders of the 20th 
     century and became a potent symbol of resistance as the anti-
     apartheid movement gathered strength;
       Whereas the Congressional Black Caucus and other Members of 
     Congress actively engaged in efforts to bring about an end to 
     South Africa's apartheid system and played a key role in 
     raising public awareness in the United States about South 
     Africa's racist regime;
       Whereas, after nearly 14 years of opposition, the 
     Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 was finally agreed 
     to by both Houses of Congress, calling for sanctions against 
     South Africa and establishing conditions for the lifting of 
     such sanctions, including the release of all political 
     prisoners including Nelson Mandela;
       Whereas the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 
     withstood a veto by President Ronald Reagan making it the 
     first time in the 20th century that a President had a foreign 
     policy veto overridden by Congress;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela was released from prison on February 
     11, 1990, after the apartheid Government of South Africa 
     agreed to his terms for release;
       Whereas, after his release, he plunged himself 
     wholeheartedly into his life's work, striving to attain the 
     goals he and others had set out almost 4 decades earlier;
       Whereas, in 1991, at the first national conference of the 
     ANC held inside South Africa after the organization had been 
     banned in 1960, Nelson Mandela was elected President of the 
     ANC;
       Whereas Nelson Mandela was elected President of South 
     Africa in that country's first democratic elections with full 
     enfranchisement was granted were held on April 27, 1994, and 
     was inaugurated on May 10, 1994, as the country's first 
     indigenous African President;
       Whereas, as President from May 1994 until June 1999, Nelson 
     Mandela presided over the transition from minority rule and 
     apartheid to a participatory democracy, winning international 
     respect for his advocacy of national reconciliation and 
     international peace; and
       Whereas Nelson Mandela has received numerous prestigious 
     honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, which was 
     shared with Frederik Willem de Klerk, the Order of Merit and 
     the Order of St. John from Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth 
     II, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. 
     Bush: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives--
       (1) honors former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela on 
     the occasion of his 90th birthday on July 18, 2008, and 
     extends best wishes to him and his family;
       (2) honors his many accomplishments on behalf of all South 
     Africans;
       (3) congratulates him for his efforts to promote dialogue 
     to peacefully resolve conflicts between people in Africa and 
     around the world; and
       (4) celebrates his contributions to South Africa, the 
     United States, and the international community.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Payne) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, 
and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Let me first thank our chairman, Mr. Berman, for moving this 
resolution swiftly to the floor in light of the time sensitivity of 
this resolution. Let me also recognize Mr. Jefferson for introducing 
this resolution and for inviting me to join him in that endeavor.
  Mr. Speaker, this Friday a living icon of freedom will turn 90 years 
old. His birthday already has been celebrated at more than 20 different 
charity events around the world. Now it's time for the United States 
Congress to rise in its voice of praise of Mr. Nelson Mandela in 
recognition of his remarkable life and the contributions that he has 
made to humankind.
  His struggle on behalf of black South Africans confronted with the 
horrific system of racial hatred is legendary. It landed him in prison 
under harsh conditions for 27 years. Mr. Mandela will be remembered for 
many things, but perhaps the words he spoke at his trial sums up his 
effort best. He said:
  ``During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the 
African people. I have fought against

[[Page H6508]]

white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have 
cherished the ideals of a democratic and free society in which all 
people live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an 
ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is 
an ideal which I am prepared to die for.''
  Mr. Speaker, death did not claim Nelson Mandela that day or in the 
decades of dismal imprisonment to follow. Instead, he grew to become a 
figure almost larger than life, an international symbol of an oppressed 
people's thirst for justice. He joined the pantheon of inspirational 
figures whose legacy belongs to all humankind: Mahatma Gandhi, Mother 
Theresa, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And as a measure of what he meant 
to us, Nelson Mandela's liberation and subsequent rise to become 
President of a free and democratic South Africa were greeted with joy 
and near disbelief around the world when it occurred.
  Mr. Speaker, Nelson Mandela was born in a small village in the 
Eastern Cape of South Africa. His family belonged to the Thembo 
Dynasty, a Xhosa noble bloodline in South Africa. He was well educated, 
earned a law degree, set up a law practice with his long-time friend 
who spent 27 years with him on Robben Island, Walter Sisulu.
  As a young man, Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress, 
which was established in 1912 to fight for justice and equality for 
Africans against discrimination and unjust laws prescribed by the 
minority European settlers. For decades leaders of the ANC challenged 
the segregation system imposed on them and demanded, through petition 
to the courts and to the British Royalty and government, the freedoms 
and opportunities afforded the whites who dominated South Africa at 
that time.
  In 1944 Nelson Mandela, along with other young educated Africans, 
formed the African National Congress Youth League, in large measure to 
shift the traditional ANC role from an elite organization to a mass-
based, African nationalist movement. After the 1948 election of the 
Afrikaner National Party, racial segregation laws that had been adopted 
incoherently were codified into a comprehensive segregation policy 
called ``apartheid,'' creating major challenges for Mandela, the 
African National Congress, and its allies.
  Apartheid institutionalized racism through physical and social 
segregation of all ethnic groups. It codified race classifications, 
prohibited interracial marriage, and reserved certain jobs for whites. 
While black Africans comprised 75 percent of the population, under 
apartheid they were allowed to live on only 13 percent of the worst 
land in the country. All public facilities were segregated by race. 
Black Africans were forced to carry identification cards and forbidden 
to be in towns preserved for whites, unless they had explicit 
permission to go there.
  In 1964 when many fellow leaders of the ANC and its armed wing were 
arrested, Mandela was brought to trial with other comrades who were 
plotting to overthrow the government by violent means. He and his seven 
comrades were imprisoned for life for their leadership in opposing 
apartheid.
  In 1989, on the strength of South Africa's own definition of the 
African National Congress, the United States Government listed the ANC 
as one of fifty-two organizations around the world as ``the more 
notorious terrorist groups.''
  I am pleased to say that 2 weeks ago, President Bush signed into law 
a bill introduced by Chairman Berman of our committee that several of 
our House colleagues joined in cosponsoring to erase this injustice. 
Particularly, Representative Barbara Lee was instrumental in ensuring 
the bill's passage in the Senate. Now Nelson Mandela and others who 
supported the effort of the ANC will no longer face additional security 
measures based solely on their association with the ANC while traveling 
to this country. Long overdue.
  In 1993 Nelson Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize, which he 
shared with former South African President F.W. de Klerk.

                              {time}  1315

  He also has received the Order of Merit and the order of St. John 
from Queen Elizabeth II and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from 
George W. Bush.
  Today President Mandela is revered around the world and continues to 
represent the values of freedom, justice and liberation for all people. 
He has become the champion in the fight against HIV and AIDS through 
his foundation. He continues to work on behalf of everyday men, women 
and children so that they can enjoy lives of freedom from injustice, 
sickness and want.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues in the House to support 
the measure recognizing Nelson Mandela's unique contributions to 
humankind.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The world recently celebrated Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday in 
London, and so much has been said about him. But in a world of 
division, a world of many deadly divisions, it's appropriate that 
Congress is once again making note of Mandela's legacy of unity. And I 
think Mr. Payne and the other authors of this resolution should be 
commended.
  I should note also that I think Chairman Berman's legislation 
recently signed into law that took Mandela and other African National 
Congress members off the terrorism list is a move that was long, long 
overdue.
  Nelson Mandela served 27 years in prison for opposing apartheid. At 
his trial, he stood in the face of the possible sentence of death. 
After being freed from captivity, which were very hard years on Robben 
Island, he easily could have let bitterness consume him. He could have 
sought revenge. Some predicted that South Africa would spiral into 
chaos suffering racial and tribal violence. So many other countries 
have. Many predicted a ruined economy. But fortunately for South 
Africans, it was Nelson Mandela who took the helm.
  Mandela is a unifier. He is an exceptional unifier. Consider that he 
invited a former white jailer of his to attend his presidential 
inauguration as a guest. He invited the man who prosecuted him to a 
presidential lunch. He made it a point to learn the language of the 
Afrikaners, the architects of apartheid, and to embrace their beloved 
rugby, making it an obsession for the whole South African nation and 
signaling to all people that they had a place in the country.
  With these and countless other acts of reconciliation, Nelson Mandela 
navigated a very treacherous transition for South Africa into majority 
rule. Nelson Mandela left power after serving only one term as his 
country's first president elected by universal suffrage. He was 
lionized. He could have served longer, but he stepped down. What a 
contrast, what a contrast to the petty tyrant to the north, Robert 
Mugabe of Zimbabwe who was a fellow liberation leader who instead of 
championing democracy as Nelson Mandela did, instead desperately clung 
to power bringing his country to ruin. Mandela walked away. And he 
hasn't meddled with his successor's presidency. And Nelson Mandela has 
spoken out about human rights around the world, including the tyranny 
of Zimbabwe.
  I don't agree with every position that Nelson Mandela the politician 
took. He opposed America on some important issues. South Africa, in 
general, is too wedded to a nonaligned ideology. Yet this doesn't 
diminish this man's tremendous political accomplishment and his 
character defined by dignity, courage, warmth, humor, and so many other 
attributes, nor his positive impact worldwide.
  South Africa isn't without many difficult challenges. The rule of law 
is coming under challenge because of rampant crime. Unemployment is 
high. Economic expectations are unrealistic. The U.S. has an interest 
in working with South Africa as we are to see that this young democracy 
meets these challenges. The future will tell. But what is certain is 
that South Africa would be in a far, far tougher spot were it not for 
the career of Nelson Mandela.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PAYNE. I yield to the gentlelady from California, a member of the 
Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Lee, for 3 minutes.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman for yielding. But I 
also thank you for your leadership on this issue and so many issues 
relating to Africa, making sure that the continent of Africa is central 
in our foreign policy. Oftentimes you are the lone voice

[[Page H6509]]

in the wilderness. But I think you have seen the day now where there 
are so many of us on both sides of the aisle who are doing the right 
thing as it relates to the continent. Thank you, Mr. Payne.
  Let me say how happy I am today that this resolution commemorating 
the 90th birthday of Mr. Mandela, one of the greatest and most beloved 
statesmen of the 21st century, is before us. And I have to thank our 
chair, Mr. Berman, and of course Congressman Jefferson who brought this 
resolution forward, to our ranking member on another subcommittee, Mr. 
Royce, and to all who have really worked together to make sure that we 
send a loud signal and raise our voices in celebration of a person 
whose life has triumphed. And we've lived to see the day that good has 
triumphed over evil and the indomitable nature of the human spirit 
prevails in the spirit and in the life of Mr. Mandela.
  For 27 years, Nelson Mandela's struggle personified the fight against 
apartheid. With a very dignified defiance, he never compromised his 
political principles or the mission of the anti-apartheid movement. In 
the 1970s and in the 1980s, I proudly served as a foot soldier in that 
movement. Through demonstrations, boycotts, divestment campaigns and 
being arrested, we all expressed our outrage at the cruelty of 
apartheid, even while continuing to fight injustices at home in the 
United States.
  It was really a very proud day for myself and all of us when the 
Congress passed legislation in 1986 sponsored by my predecessor, a 
great statesman, a former Congressman, now Mayor Ron Dellums, 
overriding President Reagan's veto imposing sanctions against South 
Africa, putting our country on the right side of history. Those 
sanctions really did help signal the death knell of apartheid. And 
under the leadership of our own Congresswoman Maxine Waters, I was very 
proud of the fact that she introduced sanctions in our State of 
California and made our State the first State to divest. And they both 
very recently were awarded with one of South Africa's highest honors.
  Not all freedom fighters live to see their struggle bring about the 
changes they imagined. Nelson Mandela did. He emerged from the infamous 
Robben Island Prison to unite and to lead a nation transformed from 
racial tyranny to a thriving multiracial democracy. South Africa now 
guarantees equal rights for all.
  President Mandela retired from political life in 1999. But he 
continues to lend his voice and moral authority to causes that affect 
the world.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman from California 
has expired.
  Mr. PAYNE. I yield 1 additional minute to the gentlelady.
  Ms. LEE. As I was saying, President Mandela continues to lend his 
voice and his moral authority to causes that affect the world such as 
the global AIDS pandemic, poverty and human rights. Nelson Mandela is a 
genuine hero to the world. So I was shocked last year, quite frankly, 
to learn when we were in South Africa with Congresswoman Donna 
Christensen that President Mandela and the ANC were barred from 
entering the United States unless they received a specific visa waiver 
certifying that they were not terrorists. So I'm pleased that we were 
able to finally rectify this indignity earlier this month when we 
passed, and the President signed, as Mr. Payne acknowledged, 
legislation to remove him and the ANC from the U.S. Terrorist Watch 
list. So I have to commend our chairman, Mr. Berman, Mr. Royce, 
Chairman Thompson, Chairman Conyers, and again, Mr. Payne for their 
efforts to make sure that this occurred before Mr. Mandela's 90th 
birthday.
  Just as that legislation was a fitting tribute to his legacy, this 
too is an opportunity for us to express our appreciation to President 
Mandela for his unfailing belief in the power of people to change.
  Mr. ROYCE. I reserve my time.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Louisiana, the sponsor of the resolution, Mr. Jefferson.
  Mr. JEFFERSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I 
thank Mr. Payne and Chairman Berman for moving this resolution to the 
floor. And I urge my colleagues and others who have joined us in 
support of H. Res. 1090 to honor President Nelson Mandela's 90th 
birthday.
  As an African proverb says, ``You cannot shave a man in his 
absence.'' Thus, it is better that we in the Congress honor President 
Mandela while he is still with us. That his life would have reached 
such a pinnacle of longevity would not have been foreseen, when one 
recalls the statement he made during his trial in 1964 in South Africa, 
the context in which it was made, and the ominous tone it struck. At 
the end of it he says, it's talking about the idea of equality for 
everyone in a nonracial society, he says ``it is an ideal which I hope 
to live for and achieve. But, if need be, it is an ideal for which I am 
prepared to die.''
  Through the grace of God, however, he is still alive today. And 
because of that, South Africa and the world have become better places. 
As a great leader, activist and humanitarian, President Nelson Mandela 
brought social and political change to South Africa, and he continues 
to serve Africans and the disenfranchised around the world.
  He was born in Transkei, South Africa, on July 18, 1918. Through his 
political life from 1944 to 1999, he showed courage and determination 
and became the symbol of resistance and freedom. But more importantly, 
perhaps, he championed forgiveness and redemption to the point where 
today he has become one of our planet's foremost moral authorities, 
persuading seats of power everywhere to simply do the right thing by 
even the simplest people.
  After gaining his freedom after 27 years of imprisonment, his life 
sacrifices were crowned on May 10, 1994, when he was inaugurated as 
South Africa's first black president. I was privileged to be in South 
Africa on that date to witness this supremely inspirational event, as 
did thousands of people from around the world everywhere. I have been 
blessed to be in the company of Mr. Mandela on a number of other 
occasions, including as a member of President Clinton's delegation to 
South Africa in 1998 and on President Clinton's peacekeeping mission in 
2000 when Mr. Mandela was seeking peace for African nations in 
conflict. And in June 2005, as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus 
Foundation, I was honored to present Mr. Mandela with the foundation's 
Phoenix Award representing the decision of the Congressional Black 
Caucus to honor him as the most significant African-ancestored person 
of the 20th century. President Mandela's work to transition from South 
Africa's apartheid rule has been widely recognized and respected. He 
has received numerous South African and International awards, including 
the Nobel Peace Prize he shared with Frederik Willem de Klerk, the 
Order of Merit and the Order of St. John from Queen Elizabeth II, and 
the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush.
  My own alma mater in Louisiana, Southern University, renamed its 
school of public policy the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy when 
he came to visit our school showing a great connection between us and 
him.
  President Mandela's dream, as was the dream of Martin Luther King, 
Jr., for human equality is still alive in our hearts and souls today 
and will never die. I hope that the Members of the House and our Nation 
will join us in unanimously wishing the happiest of birthdays and to do 
so while marking his accomplishments and altruism on this special day. 
Let us celebrate his life and work with the international community and 
the people of our country and extend our best wishes to him and to his 
family.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.
  Mr. PAYNE. Let me once again thank Chairman Berman for moving this 
legislation and all of those who cosponsored it. I thank Mr. Royce for 
his continued interest in the continent of Africa and justice in 
general.
  And with that, I yield as much time as he may consume to the chairman 
of the committee.
  Mr. BERMAN. I thank the gentleman for yielding. And, Mr. Speaker, I 
rise in strong support of this resolution. Chairman Payne, Congressman 
Jefferson, Congresswoman Lee and Congressman Royce have all pointed out

[[Page H6510]]

various aspects of this marvelous individual's career. There are very 
few people one sees in a lifetime who can inspire by their strength, 
their commitment, their dedication and their perseverance to a noble 
and idealistic cause the way that Nelson Mandela has inspired so many 
of us. And so I'm happy to join with my colleagues in speaking on 
behalf of this resolution and urging its support.
  In some ways, the most fascinating thing about Nelson Mandela's 
career is that after that incredible struggle against the evil of 
apartheid and the tyranny and the indignities that were suffered by the 
vast majority of the population of South Africa under the very 
regimented and institutionalized system of apartheid that they were 
forced to live under, that when victory came, and the apartheid regime 
ended and he took over the leadership of South Africa, that he 
dedicated himself to the concept not of vengeance against those who had 
perpetrated the evil, but to bringing forth the truth and then the 
reconciliation with his fellow countrymen and -women.

                              {time}  1330

  And even to the point where I read that the original president, when 
the legislation that institutionalized apartheid was adopted in South 
Africa, that he invited this man who didn't start the apartheid and the 
segregation, but he did more than anyone else to implement the 
repressive policies of apartheid, that after he became president, he 
invited the widow of this symbol of apartheid to come to his 
inauguration. And when she refused, he visited her in her house to 
demonstrate the depths to which he believed in that process of 
reconciliation.
  He truly was an inspirational and marvelous individual, and I 
obviously urge all of my colleagues to support Mr. Jefferson's 
resolution.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support Mr. 
Jefferson's resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PAYNE. In keeping with what the chairman said, in addition to 
what Mr. Mandela did with the person who really codified apartheid, he 
invited his jailer, the one who locked and unlocked his cell door, to 
attend his inauguration as president because he felt that the prison 
guard treated him with a modicum of respect and he invited him to also 
attend the inauguration. This was certainly a unique person.
  With that, I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1090 
honoring Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela as he celebrates 90 years of life.
  Mr. Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Transkei, South Africa, 
where he was given the name Rolihlahla, meaning ``troublemaker,'' which 
would later seem so fitting. Throughout his early adulthood, he 
developed his own ideas about the oppression he had experienced which 
led him to join the African National Congress. His work with the ANC 
led him to be tried for treason. He was acquitted of the charges, but 
his strong opposition to South African apartheid continued.
  His fight against racial segregation came to sudden halt when he was 
convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly plotting to 
overthrow the South African government.
  However, 27 years in prison could not diminish the spirit of a great 
leader. Once released from prison, Mr. Mandela wasted no time in 
becoming involved with the ANC once again. It was no surprise that this 
revolutionary man would become the next President of the ANC in 1990, 
continuing to devote himself to a multi-racial democracy for his 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Mandela embodies the dignity, strength, and 
leadership that all of us should strive for. Our country was founded on 
the values of freedom and liberty for all, personified undoubtedly by 
Mr. Mandela. He grasped these ideals and fought to make them a reality 
for South Africa through commitment unsurpassed by others. The 
dedication Mr. Mandela displayed, despite the many challenges he 
encountered, is deserving of our highest respect.
  Mr. Mandela has undisputedly contributed to tremendous change with 
his efforts to peacefully resolve conflicts throughout the world. It is 
with great pleasure that I commend Mr. Mandela for his lifetime 
commitment to promoting the vision of freedom and equality for the 
people of South Africa.
  Mr. PAYNE. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1090, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________