Three honored for help with Sudan legislation
By John J. Monahan
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
January 23, 2008
BOSTON— Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray and two state senators from Worcester were honored last night for their leadership in getting legislation passed that requires the state to disinvest in companies doing business in Sudan, to protest genocide in that country.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston honored Mr. Murray, state Sen. Harriette L. Chandler, D-Worcester, and Sen. Edward M. Augustus Jr., D-Worcester, with its annual leadership awards.
Nancy K. Kaufman, executive director of the council, said adoption of the Sudan disinvestment legislation last year was extremely important to the Jewish community.
“It sent a clear message to the government of Sudan that Massachusetts will not stand idly by while genocide is going on. We have the awardees to thank for helping the commonwealth send that important message,” she said.
Mr. Murray said the state has been a “beacon of freedom and human rights to the world” since its inception. By adopting the legislation, he said, the state not only took steps against “an ongoing genocide,” but also reaffirmed the state’s “legacy of standing up for justice and freedom in the face of tyranny and genocide.”
Mrs. Chandler said the state had a moral obligation to act. A chief sponsor of the bill, she said, “the crisis in Sudan has seen hundreds of thousands systematically killed and millions displaced from their homes and villages.
“I am proud that the Massachusetts Legislature stepped up and said loud and clear, ‘Never again,’ ” Mrs. Chandler said.
Mr. Augustus said the action in Massachusetts alone will not have a major impact on the situation in the Sudan. But as part of a larger effort, he said, it will help create momentum for broader action. “There are other states doing it. There are colleges and universities doing it. There are municipalities doing it,” he said.
“We are making sure we are part of that momentum that is building and putting pressure on the government on Sudan. Quite frankly, we are also trying to send a message to China and others who have some big business interests there, that the world is watching and the world doesn’t want to support this,” Mr. Augustus said.
“Alone it is not going to make a difference, but acting as part of a bigger effort we are going to be doing our part,” he added. So far, 22 states have passed similar legislation.
