Thursday 22 January 2009

A lesson from Barack Hussein Obama

When Barack Hussein Obama won the Democratic Party elections, I went: "All right"; when Obama won the United States presidential elections, I said to myself: "Okay". All a matter-of-fact acceptance that there would be a new guy in the White House.

But it was only after I watched the Obama oath-taking on 20 Jan 2009 that the significance finally struck me. it wasn't only Barack Obama standing on the podium taking the oath to be the most powerful man in the world.

It was more than that.

It showed the world that the United States could open up by electing a non-white American as its top executive. It showed the world that in the United States, their people could rise above race to choose the most capable man as its top executive. It showed the world that in the United States, it is possible that bigotry can fail. It showed the world that in the United States, supremacy of one race over another is a myth.

Now, if only this can also be recognised in other parts of the world with sizeable minority populations. Like here.

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