Isaacs disrespectful

THE arguments put forward by Charles Thomas in “Comparisons don’t do justice to Isaacs”, 28 September, are illogical as explained below. My comparison of Isaacs with that of Oscar Pistorius and Bob Hewitt is far from being scandalous. All three were convicted of contravening simple laws which were enacted to protect citizens in a civilised and democratic society.

Brian Isaacs’s contravention of the law was not for the advancement of education to the underprivileged, as Thomas would like us to believe. It was a blatant act of disrespect for the laws of education and for instructions issued by his superiors.

The violation of the 1968 Olympic Charter by Tommie Smith and John Carlos cannot be compared with that by Brian Isaacs. From the Olympic podium they succeeded in highlighting to hundreds of millions viewers across the globe their dissatisfaction with the racial inequality at the time. Their actions were their minute contribution to address an unjust matter.

Thomas’s comparison of Isaacs’s actions with that of Nelson Mandela is also misplaced. Mandela, the beloved father of our nation, was convicted of violating an unjust apartheid law at the time. His actions were inspired by justice, equality and the restoration of the dignity of his people.

The disrespectful actions of Isaacs are nothing in comparison with the actions of Smith, Carlos and our beloved Madiba. Isaacs’s actions were not at all for the advancement of education. It was a blatant disregard for a law enacted by a democratic society.

Had he been convicted of occupying a nearby empty government building and utilised it for teaching his learners, then it would have been a completely different case. But he was convicted of being disrespectful to his seniors and for bringing the Department of Education into disrepute.

His actions did not leave much room for the MEC to manoeuvre. The MEC had no choice but to release Isaacs from his duties as a principal. Adiel Ismail Cape Town