Kampala — Shortly after Senator Barack Obama was announced 44th President of the United States of America, his arch-rival Senator John McCain called to congratulate him.

In his speech to the hundreds of sympathisers, Senator McCain conceded defeat and promised to work with Obama to rebuild their country America. This kind of bravery is lacking in our African society and it is high time our leaders learnt a lesson.

Politics, like an old adage says, is a dirty game. Today Obama looks an angel, a saviour to many, but it's just a question of time that his true colours will be seen.

This is not to say that Senator John McCain would have been any better President. As such, when it is not your day, you always lose, and must accept the circumstances. To me, that was the most honourable thing for the 72-year-old to do.

I always tend to relate politics to two drivers competing for space on the road. One is clearly in the wrong by blocking the other's way, while the other impatiently hoots to have his right way.

Shortly after overtaking, the one initially in the right immediately forgets what happened to him and does the same thing to someone else simply because he presumes he's in a more urgent situation.

He drives the entire journey so annoyed and possibly crushes because he is not concentrating anymore because of the anger. Doesn't he then have only himself to blame? So, Senator McCain has done the right thing to give way to the winner for the benefit of the entire American society rather than engage in endless legal battles which could add more misery.

Today the Kenyans must be celebrating with lots of excitement, but they must take the American election as a multi- edged benefit for them.

First of course it's a lot of pride that a son with Kenyan blood will be leading the world's powerhouse, but they must also learn from John McCain's attitude to improve their own situation back home. They should learn that in politics there's always a winner and a loser, and therefore must never spill blood like we saw in their last elections.

They must never also be bogged by the belief in power-sharing because it's not the solution to their problems.

The way forward is that first you accept that you lost, promise to work with the winner, and only then wait for appointment to a position in the government.

I long for a time in Africa where a losing candidate shall pick the phone and call his rival to offer words of congratulation while promising to work together for the development of their country!

He must have lost the poll, but Senator McCain has written his name in the books of history and above all set a precedent for not only Africa but the entire world to emulate.

I congratulate Barack Obama upon the victory he has attained and pray that he works so hard to achieve the promises he has made to the American people.

The world is watching, waiting to give him the support he needs to utilise the prowess set into pace by those that came before him, and there can never be a better opportunity to out-do his predecessors' successes and undo their failures than this.

It may not take one year, and perhaps not even one term, but the time for change is now to and it must be realised.

The writer is a mass communicator