Kuala Lumpur, Dec 6 – The late Nelson Mandela was truly a great leader with incredible fortitude and unflinching dedication to the cause of social justice, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The former prime minister said the news of Mandela’s passing was received with great sadness and a deep sense of loss.
“His passing is a great personal loss to me and to all African people,” he said in a statement, here, Friday.
He said Mandela was not only a dear friend to him but also a leader that he admired the most.
“Whenever I am asked who I admire most among the leaders I have met, I have no hesitation in naming Nelson Mandela,” he said.
Dr Mahathir said Mandela was also a forgiving man, adding that he bore no animosity towards those who had imprisoned him, and all he cared about was reconciliation and the sharing of his country’s wealth and opportunities between blacks and whites.
“Few in the world have exhibited this kind of magnanimity,” Dr Mahathir added.
Mandela, 95, died at his home in Johannesburg on Thursday night after battling a prolonged lung infection.
– Bernama
