Frederick William DeKlerk

Frederick Wilhelm de Klerk, a politician from the Republic of South Africa, was the last white president of the country to date and a driving force behind the abolition of racial segregation. At the time when De Klerk took office, the racist regime in South Africa was in a state of turmoil. At this time, DeKlerk demonstrated exceptional political courage and determination to create a new South Africa. At the beginning of his tenure, De Klerk announced that he would allow peaceful rallies against racist regimes to be held throughout the country. In order to designate a new constitution, he held talks with the leaders of the four major ethnic groups in the country, namely white, black, colored, and Indian. On February 2, 1990, in his opening speech to the South African Parliament, De Klerk announced the lifting of the ban on 33 anti racist ruling political parties and organizations, including the African National Assembly and the Communist Party of South Africa. In the same month, despite opposition from the right-wing group in parliament, he announced the release of Mandela and other political prisoners who had been imprisoned for 27 years. In 1991, DeKlerk announced the abolition of various racial segregation laws such as land laws and group settlement laws, and the legal pillar of racist rule in South Africa collapsed. In 1992, a national vote was held, and 69% of white people supported his reform policy. In the same year, a new constitution was proposed to give the majority of black people citizenship and various ethnic groups to participate in national elections, and serious negotiations were reached with Mandela and other black leaders. At the same time, his government continued to systematically dismantle the legislative basis for racial segregation. Under the leadership of De Klerk, the ruling Nationalist Party and the African National Assembly reached a transitional agreement in the summer of 1993 to be governed by the majority. In South Africa's difficult transition from a racist system to a new society, De Klerk and Mandela were able to avoid large-scale bloody conflicts and achieve a basic peaceful transition. The 1993 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to both Mandela and DeKlerk. In April 1994, South Africa held a general election and the ANC won, with De Klerk serving as the second vice president of the National Unity Government. When admitting defeat in the general election, DeKlerk firmly vowed that he would not give up on his new historical mission and would still run for the presidency of South Africa in 1999. On May 9, 1996, it was announced that the South African Nationalist Party had withdrawn from the coalition government formed by the African National Assembly and resigned as its second vice president in June; Announce that the party will play a role as the main opposition party. However, Declerk finally had to face the cold reality. In September 1997, De Klerk resigned from his position as Chairman of the Kuomintang and withdrew from politics. Someone called for commemoration of Mandela, don't forget DeKlerk; Some people suggest praising Mandela, but more importantly, praising DeKlerk; Some people assert that a nation that only remembers Mandela and forgets DeKlerk seems to have not yet reached adulthood.