MEMORIAL TO HONOR MAHATMA GANDHI (House of Representatives - September 15, 1998)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH MEMORIAL.
(a) In General: The Government of India may establish a memorial to honor Mahatma Gandhi on the Federal land in the District of Columbia.
(b) Cooperative Agreements: The Secretary of the Interior or any other head of a Federal agency may enter into cooperative agreements with the Government of India to maintain features associated with the memorial.
(c) Compliance With Standards for Commemorative Works: The establishment of the memorial shall be in accordance with the Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), except that sections 2(c) and 6(b) of that Act shall not apply with respect to the memorial.
(d) Limitation on Payment of Expenses: The Government of the United States shall not pay any expense of the establishment of the memorial or its maintenance.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.

The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).

Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 4284 is a bill introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum). The gentleman from Florida is to be commended for working very hard to craft a bill that will recognize and memorialize one of the great world leaders of our time. H.R. 4284 would authorize the Government of India to establish a memorial to honor Mahatma Gandhi on Federal property in the District of Columbia and would be in basic accordance with the Commemorative Works Act. The memorial is to be a gift to the people of the United States as a part of the celebration of India's 50 years of freedom.

Mahatma Gandhi was born in India in 1869. He was best known for his civil disobedience that took shape in nonviolence and passive resistance and was instrumental in helping India achieve its independence from England. He is revered by millions throughout the world for his unending fight for personal freedom and human rights. H.R. 4284 would allow the country of India to create the Mahatma's memorial within the District of Columbia to honor this great man. Furthermore, this bill will also authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with the Government of India in order to maintain features associated with the memorial. Of note, the Federal Government shall not pay any expenses for the establishment or maintenance of this memorial.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4284 is a worthy bill which will recognize an important and great world leader within the boundaries of Washington, D.C.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4284.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4284 is a companion measure to H.R. 1390 as it was introduced by my colleague the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone). I also want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) in providing for this joint measure.

The legislation authorizes the Government of India to establish a memorial to honor Mahatma Gandhi on Federal lands across the street from the embassy of India here in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Speaker, Mahatma Gandhi, as everyone knows, is internationally renowned as a great leader and for his teachings of passive resistance and noncooperation in his native India. Perhaps this may be noted as one of the dark pages of the British colonial rule at the time, the fact that they were very reluctant to grant independence and freedom to the people of India. As some of my colleagues and perhaps even the American public may have seen, one of the great movies ever done on the history of this great man, Mahatma Gandhi, a graduate of Oxford University, started his early practice in South Africa, and an attorney by profession turned, the fact that here was this man who paid a first-class ticket on a train and with this British officer noted that here was an Indian sitting in a first-class cabin was insulting to this British officer. The rest is history, Mr. Speaker, given the fact that Mahatma Gandhi was not only beaten by these British officers, but it changed his entire life and seeing that his people were certainly under suppression by British colonial rule.

This movement of nonviolence, Mr. Speaker, as noted also by my colleagues, had tremendous influence even on the civil rights movement here in America. The fact that the great American Martin Luther King, Jr. was tremendously influenced not only by the teaching but by the example that Mahatma Gandhi had lived for in his life in trying to set the people of India free from British colonial rule.

Mr. Speaker, it was my privilege months ago with the chairman of the Committee on International Relations when we visited New Delhi, India to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the independence of India and to again not only remind the Indian people among the leaders but to see the tremendous contributions that this Indian leader had given not only to his own country but certainly to the world. And the fact that as a result of what Mahatma Gandhi has done, Mr. Speaker, we have 980 million people living in India, the largest or the most populous democracy in the world, is a demonstration of not only the commitment of Mr. Gandhi to see that his people be let free from British colonial rule is an example; and even more so in the fact that our own country was tremendously influenced not only by this man who happens to be an Indian but the fact that Martin Luther King, Jr.'s own writings, own example in the civil rights movement was greatly influenced by this.

Mr. Speaker, I think this legislation is most proper and appropriate and we see that there should be a memorial built here, in the premises here in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time. I really appreciate very much the chairman of this subcommittee who has brought this bill to the floor through the urging of several of us and done it in a fine form and fashion.

I rise today specifically to express my support for the passage of H.R. 4284, a bill, as I think all of us know, to allow India to establish a memorial to honor Mahatma Gandhi here in Washington, D.C.

I am joined also in this effort by my good friend and colleague the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone). The gentleman from New Jersey and I cochair the India Congressional Caucus, a bipartisan group that is designed to promote understanding between the United States and India.

As all of us know, India is the world's largest democracy. It has shared our commitment to freedom of speech, democratic values and the rule of law since its inception in 1947. This memorial is a positive reminder of the growing relationship between the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy. The memorial is a gift to the people of the United States from the people of India in celebration of India's 50 years of freedom. It will symbolize not only the strong friendship between the U.S. and India but also the impact that Gandhi had in the United States and in particular on the civil rights movement.

Mahatma Gandhi was known for his acts of civil disobedience which took the form of nonviolence and passive resistance. His efforts were key in helping India to achieve its independence from England and inspired leaders in the United States and throughout the world. His actions prevented unnecessary bloodshed and served as the foundation for peaceful resolution of conflict.

It is fitting that we take on this bill which commemorates the father of the nation of India during the anniversary of India's independence. We have had a growing and strong relationship with India in recent years. In the coming years it appears to me that the need for our alliance will be even greater. We are confronted with so many troubling matters in the world today, including terrorism, including the possibility of threats of chemical, nuclear and biological proliferation, and while we have some disputes with India always, and that will inevitably be the case, for the most part we are on exactly the same track. As a strong ally in the future, India will be a partner of

the United States in so many ways in foreign policy that I see. In addition to that, India is an increasingly extremely important trading partner for economic interests with this country and their country. Indian Americans are very strong citizens of the United States who believe deeply in democratic values, values that are shared both in their native country and in their adopted country of the United States.

This particular legislation with this particular memorial that we are setting forth today gives us a way of saying to each other, as nations and as peoples, we have shared values and commitments. We know there are times when we will have disagreements, but those are comparatively very minor to the major agreements that we have and the shared values that we have. It is terribly important that we go forward with this bill and with our continued building of a strong relationship between India and the United States.

The government of India strongly supports the legislation. The memorial will not cost, as has been said, the taxpayers a cent. I do not know of any objections to its construction whatsoever.

Mr. Speaker, for all of the above reasons aforesaid, I urge the adoption of this bill.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding time. I also want to commend and to congratulate the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) who is chairman of the India Caucus for his sponsorship of this legislation as well as for the effort that he puts to increase the relationship between the United States and India.

A memorial to Mahatma Gandhi is very easy to support. As a matter of fact, as has already been indicated, he led the greatest resistance movement in a nonviolent way that the world had ever seen at that moment. And then, of course, as has already been indicated, he was an inspiration to Dr. Martin Luther King who in our modern era led the most effective nonviolent resistance movement that we have ever seen during contemporary times.

Most importantly, though, this memorial will signal even greater relationships between the two countries, the two democracies, the largest, I believe, as someone said, and the oldest. I think that that in and of itself is a tribute to all of us. And so I very greatly endorse and support this legislation and again commend the sponsor for its initiation.

Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella).

Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me. I am just so very pleased to rise in full support for this resolution H.R. 4284 that is going to allow the country of India to create the Gandhi memorial within the District of Columbia to honor this very great person.

It is true we celebrated the 50th anniversary of India. It is true, as has been stated, that it is one of the greatest democracies along with the United States. It is true that its constitution begins with `we the people,' just as our Constitution does. It is true that we have a very active Indian-American caucus here, and I can see the chairman of the caucus is over there.

I want to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) of the full committee, the chairman, for this legislation as well as the gentleman from California (Mr. Miller), the ranking member; indeed the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), who is the chairman of the subcommittee, and the gentleman from American Samoa, (Mr. Faleomavaega) for this.

As my colleagues know, I used to teach English and American literature, and it was Henry David Thoreau who wrote Walden and also wrote On Civil Disobedience. And in writing Walden, he talked about the mystical waters of India, of the Ganges, and what the spiritualism implied and what it meant. And in Civil Disobedience, where he spent that night in jail because he resisted peacefully something that he believed was wrong, he indicated that he attributed that this was something that was a way that we should resolve conflict.

Mr. Speaker, we know that Mahatma Gandhi looked to Henry David Thoreau when he was involved in civil disobedience in terms of peaceful resistance to what was wrong. We then know that it was Martin Luther King, Jr., who then looked to Gandhi for that continuation of that. So it all comes together in terms of the importance of Mahatma Gandhi in terms of our relationship and friendship with India, in terms of what we believe in in America and what our Indian Americans adhere to as a part of this great country.

So I commend all of the people who have been involved, I thank them very much for this resolution coming out today, and I urge the entire House to support it.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) for her fine comments, and certainly very appropriate on the occasion of deliberating on this piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), not only the chairman of the India Caucus, but certainly a great leader on this issue.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee and, as the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) mentioned, the other members of the Committee on Resources for pushing this bill so we could bring it to the floor this day and get it passed and sent over to the Senate.

As my colleagues know, the sponsor of the bill, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) co-chairs the India Caucus with me, and this is a bipartisan effort. We have over a hundred Members in our India Caucus, and this is one of the bills that we have been trying to push on a bipartisan basis throughout most of this year. We are very pleased that it is coming to the floor today.

There is a companion bill offered by Senator Moynihan, who is a former U.S. Ambassador to India, that is being sponsored in the Senate, again on a bipartisan basis, so if we can get it over to the Senate, we will undoubtedly get it signed by the President before the end of this year.

As was mentioned last month, India celebrated actually the 51st anniversary of her independence, and of course the individual most closely identified with the historic and successful effort by the people of India to secure the independence from British colonialism and establish a democracy was Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi's contributions to the causes of democracy, freedom, and human rights are felt to this day not only in India but throughout the world, including here in the United States. And that is why I think it is particularly important that we have a memorial or a monument to him here in Washington, D.C., which of course is our capital and the place where we celebrate democracy and the freedoms that we enjoy as the leader of the free world.

I just wanted to say very briefly, Mr. Speaker, when I was in India a couple times, I had the opportunity to go to the Gandhi ashram in Ahmadabad and also to a place where Gandhi spent a number of years in Bombay, and I was incredibly impressed with the way he organized this movement in India. There is really nothing quite like it in terms of the way he took an intellectual idea and was able to expand it to the masses of the people in India and have success in throwing off the yoke of colonialism.

From a practical standpoint, though, I wanted to say that this memorial will be entirely not only an appropriate addition to this city, but it will not cost the Federal Government anything. The legislation specifies that American taxpayers will not have to bear the cost of construction and maintenance. The Embassy of India will bear all costs. The National Capital Memorial Commission and the National Park Service will both have very active consultative roles, ensuring that it will add to the beauty of our capital and blend in well with the surrounding area.

The location of the tract of land where the memorial will be erected is close to the Embassy of India. It has been selected because the location would be in keeping with the Commemorative Works Act for location of commemorative works as subjects of lasting historical significance to the American people, and I wanted to point out that the proposed monument was approved last June by the National Capital Memorial Commission.

So, Mr. Speaker, this city is a city of great monuments and memorials, and we are just very happy on behalf of the India Caucus to have this addition added to those commemorative monuments.

Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to make another note of the fact that in our Nation we have over 1 million Indian Americans living in our country that make tremendous contributions to their local communities and to the several States, and the fact that the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) are both co-chairs of the India Caucus. I think it is a tribute to the over 1 million Indian Americans that live in our own Nation that show such diversity that we provide to our community and the citizens here.

• Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4284, a bill to authorize the establishment of a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi here in the nation's capital.

• Born October 2, 1869 in Probandar, western India, Mahatma Gandhi was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism and advocate of nonviolence in the 20th century. Appealing to reason, justice, and tolerance, Gandhi served as a powerful and effective force in bringing about Indian independence through his teaching of nonviolent civil disobedience.

• In many ways, India's independence and strength today owes much to the conviction and courage of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi's leadership in promoting peaceful social and political change has inspired many around the world and sustained efforts for the improvement of civil and human rights worldwide. He has won the affection of so many, including revered American leaders like civil rights advocate Martin Luther King, for his tireless efforts to improve social equality. In addition to playing a pivotal role in creating modern India, Gandhi's work provides a model for generations to come.

• Today's measure builds on earlier Congressional efforts to honor Gandhi. In 1994, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Gandhi's birth, I authored a resolution to honor Gandhi's unwavering dedication to India's people and a man whose name has come to symbolize freedom and justice around the world.

• On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its India's independence, it is both fitting and appropriate that we honor Gandhi's legacy with the establishment of a memorial in the nation's capital, where people from all around the world can gather to commemorate and reflect on Gandhi's life and vision. I am proud to join my colleagues in voting for this important measure.

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4284.

The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.

A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

END