Adjunkspeaker, verlede week op 4 Junie was dit presies 20 jaar sedert studente van Beijing Universiteit en ander kampusse op Tiananmen-plein in Beijing teen 'n ondemokratiese kommunistiese bevel in opstand gekom het. Meer as 100 000 studente het op die plein bymekaargekom en die tenks van die sogenaamde People's Liberation Army openlik uitgedaag.
Die soldate van die People's Liberation Army het op hulle losgebrand en tot vandag toe weet ons nie presies hoeveel jong Chinese studente daardie dag doodgeskiet is nie. Die syfer wissel van die amptelike Chinese een van 250 tot die 10 000 wat volgens die intelligensie-owerhede van die destydse Sowjet-Unie bekendgemaak is.
Op 6 Junie vanjaar was dit presies 65 jaar sedert D-dag. Op di dag in 1944 het 160 000 jong geallieerde soldate van 16 jaar en ouer in amfibiese voertuie op die seestrand by Normandi geland en Duitse Nazi- masjiengeweervuur trotseer om uiteindelik Europa te bevry van Nazi- oorheersing. Vandag is die 110 000 grafte van jong soldate aan albei kante die stille getuienis van hierdie bloedige slag. Op 16 Junie word weer twee gebeure in Suid-Afrika herdenk. Ons ken almal die gebeure in Soweto - hier's baie gepraat daaroor - maar ook op 16 Junie, 109 jaar gelede, is 'n bevel uitgevaardig deur lord Roberts wat bepaal het dat die plase van boere in daardie oorlogstyd afgebrand sou word en wat sodoende die tafel gedek het vir die sogenaamde verskroeide aardebeleid waarin 26 000 jong vroue en kinders gesterf het.
Die stemme van al hierdie geaffekteerdes het een ding in gemeen, of dit nou die uitdagende jong student op Tiananmen-plein was of die dapper jong soldaat in Normandi of die begeesterde aktivis in Soweto of die desperate boerekind in die Britse konsentrasiekamp: al hierdie mense is in omstandighede geplaas deur idealisme, deur 'n ideaal wat groter was as hulle self. Dit is dikwels hierdie idealisme wat veroorsaak het dat hierdie mense op 'n dikwels onkeerbare manier hulle stemme losgemaak het, hulle stemme laat hoor het oor waarin hulle geglo het. Mag ons nooit hierdie stemme stilmaak nie! Ek dank u. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr W D SPIES: Deputy Speaker, it was 20 years to the very day on 4 June when students of Beijing University and other campuses on Tiananmen Square in Beijing protested against an undemocratic communist rule. More than 100 000 students gathered on the square and openly defied the tanks of the so- called People's Liberation Army. Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army opened fire and to this day we are still unsure precisely how many young Chinese students were killed. The figure varies from the official Chinese one of 250 to that of 10 000 according to intelligence authorities of the Soviet Union at that time.
D-Day was on 6 June this year; 65 years to this day. On 6 June 1944, 160 000 troops of 16 years and older landed on the beach at Normandy in amphibious vehicles and defied German Nazi machine-gun fire to eventually free Europe from Nazi domination. One hundred and ten thousand graves of young soldiers from both sides bear silent testimony to this bloody battle today.
Two events are once again being celebrated in South Africa on 16 June. We are all familiar with events around Soweto of which much has been spoken about here today, but 109 years ago - also on 16 June- a decree was issued by Lord Roberts which stipulated that farms belonging to the boers during that period of war would be destroyed, thereby setting the scene for the so- called scorched earth policy during which 26 000 young women and children lost their lives.
The voices of all those affected have one thing in common, whether it's the defiant, young student on Tiananmen Square; the fearless soldier in Normandy; the enthusiastic activist in Soweto or the desperate boer child in a British concentration camp. All were placed in their circumstances on account of idealism; an ideal that was greater than any of them. Generally speaking, this very same idealism often results in people voicing their beliefs incessantly in order to make their voices heard. May we never silence their voices! I thank you.]