Obama: Yes, We Can

Technorati tags: Obama, US Presidential Elections, Merit, Victory

In some parts of the world, it's still the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November - the date set for the US Presidential Elections. And November 4, 2008 will, without a doubt, be forever known as a very historical Tuesday.

The bad news is, however, that neither one of the Palins will go to the White House. Walski was rooting for Michael Palin, until he found out that the smarter Palin wasn't even running.

But the good news is that Barack Obama was, a few hours ago, chosen as President-elect of the United States of America, with Joe Biden as his VP.

Throughout the long campaign, listening to the speeches and rallies of both tickets, Walski must say that Obama brought something to America that the nation had not known for a while... hope. On the international front, Obama brought the promise of a more inclusive administration.

The US finally elects a president that the rest of the world is, at the very least, hopeful about. Eight long years of Dubya, and those of the same ilk, apparently was more than enough for the world's most powerful nation.

And as observations go, that is in no way beating around the Bush... 
(a victory not just for the US, and more, in the full post)

Obama's campaign has, for the most part, been premised on two important factors. Hope, and Change. And his victory can only be good for the US, in as far as world public opinion is concerned, as the world over, leaders have hailed his election victory.

In these uncertain times, seeing an African-American being elected as the President of the US only gives Walski hope. It is a shining example where merit won over sentiment, substance over rhetoric and mudslinging.

Most of all, Walski is hopeful that this example will one day spill over to our own shores.

But can Malaysians at large ever see someone for his or her own merit, rather than what race the person belongs to? Recent examples haven't been very optimistic - the UMNO verbal attacks on Zaid over his speech, the adverse reaction towards the appointment of Low Siew Moi acting General Manager of PKNS... 

Can we, really?

One of the things Obama had to say during his victory speech, however, sums up Walski's personal belief: Yes, We Can...