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"I have plenty of time. I'm still healthy. Nelson Mandela was fighting for many years," said Thaksin when asked if he will return to Thailand and continue with his political activities. The nerve of some people is amazing. But it never crossed our mind that a scam artist like fugitive Thaksin would have the audacity to compare himself to Mandela, a beloved and respected statesmen. The emotional attachment people have for the African hero has to do with the fact that he sacrificed so much, personally and politically, in his struggle to bring equality and justice to black people in South Africa against the obviously unjust rule of the white minority. Mandela has earned his place in our hearts and in history. He tried to change things and believed that what was good for him was good for the country.

Not too long ago, at the height of his game, Thaksin said he wanted to be remembered in the same way as the late statesman Pridi Panomyong. But all the Khmer black magic he employed hasn't helped him one bit in becoming anything like Pridi, let alone Mandela. These are men of substance and the world will remember them for the sacrifices they made for their fellow man.

Thaksin, on the other hand, is trying to instigate violent confrontation as a means to undo the judicial verdict on his corrupt activities. A great leader should know when to make sacrifice, and that's what made Mandela the respected statesman he is.