Nicholas Rainer
9 May 2008
Port Louis — Now that the macho my-crowd-was bigger-than-yours posturing has begun to die down, the country's leaders can get back down to the nitty-gritty of governing the country. Or maybe not. For wont of an "early harvest" to sink our teeth into, we might as well turn to the US presidential elections for a glimpse at something worth getting excited about.
After his landslide victory in North Carolina, Barack Obama is looking like a dead cert for the Democratic nomination. What a breath of fresh air! The senator from Illinois possesses the charisma and charm required to make it to the White House. He is also an extremely canny politician. In addition, he has shown considerable mettle over the past few years. For one, he voted against the war in Iraq when doing so was perceived as being tantamount to treason in Washington DC.
He recently denounced the lifting of the gas tax as a "gimmick" that could in fact push petrol prices upwards. He has also announced that he would talk to some of America's most virulent enemies like Iran. He has challenged the archetype of the presidential candidate, namely, that he has to be a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (so does Hillary Clinton but she is far more 'establishment' than her adversary).
Admittedly, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Obama's true worth will only be revealed if he makes it to the Oval Office. Yet the simple fact that he has inspired American youth to believe in change is remarkable in itself.
The US Embassy organized a Digital Video Conference (DVC) on Monday on the theme "Covering a Presidential Election". Given the interest that the "greatest show on Earth" has been generating all over the world, this was a timely initiative. The speaker for this event was Georges Kazolias, a veteran journalist and instructor of communications at the American University in Paris. He reminded the assembly that "politicians are a product to be sold like any other". The problem is that candidates often lack the nous and gravitas required to conduct the affairs of the state once they are elected to office.
We have seen this with George W. Bush in the US and we are seeing it again with Nicolas Sarkozy in France. For, if it is well known that people vote for personality more than policies, it's about time we learn to differentiate between hyperactivity and action. We will not elaborate on this for, as Samuel Taylor Coleridge once wrote, "Advice is like snow-the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper in sinks into the mind".
Mauritius desperately needs someone like Barack Obama- honest, driven and competent. Someone who can tell it like it is. Someone who has the courage to stand up to accepted wisdoms and nefarious interest groups. Someone who can do away with the Best Loser System for once and for all as opposed to continuously reneging against electoral reform.
Someone who can give credibi-lity to our institutions instead of sucking it out of them. For this is the Mauritian Republic of Us and we deserve no less.
Americans are lucky that they have such an exciting candidate vying for the presidency. Whether or not he gets elected, Barack Obama has already shown that the status quo needn't be the only option.
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