NDTV Khabar, India
From “Change We Can Believe in”
to “Yes, We Can”
By Rajeev Mishra
There were many issues raised on Obama’s election which probably don’t just affect the politics in any democratic country, but also decides candidacy.
Translated By Roohi Khan
5 November 2008
Edited by Bridgette Blight
India - NDTV Khabar - Original Article (Hindi)
The process of electing someone to the American President’s post began 20 months back and today the American public has shown why it is the most powerful country in the world by giving a historical decision.
Till about two decades back, apartheid in America was a cause for concern for the millions of Blacks, but today, for the first time in the 219-year-long history of American democracy, the American public has rejected this by handing over the reins of the country to an African-American citizen - Barack Hussein Obama.
Obama has created a record by getting 349 votes from the total 538 electoral votes. This win does not belong to one human but to every each and every section of society. Obama gave the election slogan “Change We Can Believe In”. There were many issues raised on Obama’s election which probably don’t just affect the politics in any democratic country, but also decides candidacy.
At least this applies cent percent to India. After the victory of the Congress party in the general elections in 2004, a similar atmosphere had been created, when the issue of Italian-born Indian citizen Sonia Gandhi becoming the Prime Minister came up. But this became such an issue in those days that in the end Sonia Gandhi in all humility declined to become the Prime Minister.
But today with the help of the American public, Barack Hussein Obama has proven that the democracy in America is very progressive. This was the same thing that Obama said in his thank you speech while addressing the people, “No one should have any doubt that anything is possible in America.”
For Obama during the election campaign, there was a time when even his name was an issue for his adversaries. The name Hussein with Barack prompted the adversaries to raise the global issue of Islamic terrorism. His adversaries also tried to convince the public that if Obama won, America will not be able to take strong steps against Islamic terrorism. The fact that Obama was born an African and was a Black was also an issue for his adversaries.
Not only this, those opposing Obama even said that his love for the country is a facade. To prove this, the opposition tried to show a video clip of Obama at various places to fool the public. But the extremely intelligent American public ignored these small things and gave Obama an easy and natural win. This is what makes a country special, where the public gives utmost importance to national interests.
In the context of the American elections another thing which is very interesting is that although the elections were fought between two opposite parties – Democratic and Republican, during the election campaign, people always held the national flag in their hands.
In our country, politicians who talk about taking India ahead of all the countries of the world should learn a lesson from this and instead of using cheap politics should use the politics of national interest for making us a strong democracy and for the unity of the country.
Obama had given the slogan “change, we can” before the elections and also ended his speech after the win with the word “change”. Obama answered many questions with, “Yes, we can”. If only, the guardians of our democracy would also say “yes, we can”…
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