20 some years ago, Benigno Aquino Jr., a former Senator and opposition leader of the Philippines returned to our country with the goal of re-establishing a democratic government. He lasted less than an hour on Philippine soil before assassins killed him.
This year, Benazir Bhutto,two time Prime Minister of Pakistan returned to her native land to try and re-establish Democracy in her country. She lasted several months before an assassin killed her yesterday.
They both knew that it was a possibility that they will be assassinated once they return to their native lands, but they persisted. In the words of Benigno Aquino, Jr. the "Filipino is worth dying for". Pakistani's, for Benazir Bhutto are also worth dying for.
Ms. Bhutto was killed by a suicide bomber, to the bomber however, he was dying not for his people, but for his religion. And that is a tragedy, Ms. Bhutto and Mr. Aquino died trying to give people more freedom, the bomber was trying to take away people's freedom.
Filipino's as a response to Mr. Aquino's heroism rose up and rejected the dictatorship of President Marcos. I can only hope that the people of Pakistan will also draw strength and inspiration from Ms. Bhutto's heroism to reject religious fundamentalism and dictatorship and establish a truly democratic society.
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