Concord Times (Freetown)
John Baimba Sesay
6 November 2008
opinion
It was Abraham Lincoln, one of America's president, who said that '...this nation under, God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Not surprising though that President elect of the United State of American, African born Barack Obama had to borrow those words when he was delivering his acceptance speech to his supporters.
He called on his supporters not see others as enemies but as friends, because, politics was over and now moving towards development, towards changing America and the whole world. Yes Obama, the president elect of the US of A.. Current happenings in the States are indications that, they are indeed united and that then 'can' often said by Obama.
The world is changing, the world is going African, no joke, and the whole world is Africa only that, it is divided into continents. This may sound philosophical but the fact is, America now has a black president, and what an epoch making event in the political arrangement of the United State of America and the world at large.
I initially thought, Obama was not going to win, primarily due to my belief that what happened years back to Al Gore was going to repeat itself; a popular president that never was, since he(Al Gore) could not win the electoral college. The world must be breathing a sigh of relief, because, a new birth of freedom, under God, has been achieved.
Yes, the Middle East must be thinking well, if for no other reason but the fact that a Democrat and an African is being elected President of the United State. We must all recall what the impact has been like following the American invasion in Iraq, the palace coup against Sadaam Hussein.
There are lessons to be leant from that tsunami that has witnessed not only John McCain but even George Bush, who is to blame for the predicament that has befallen the Republicans. In my opinion, John McCain could be likened to Berewa in Sierra Leone. Berewa was not a voter friendly candidate from the SLPP camp and as such, despite the efforts by the SLPP to see victory, Berewa was never voted for.
An aged, like Berewa and McCain could not make good presidency and bedsides, won't woo voters into voting them. I will keep reiterating this point that, no matter what the SLPP does for now, it will never darken the walls of State House if the idea of elitism is not effaced from that party's book of ideology. Sama Banya must be preparing again to refer me as a detractor, as he did few days back, even when the truth is often said, and honest thoughts shared with them, they will never learn and accept.
Immediately I arrived at my workplace yesterday, I called up a friend of mine, Ishmeal Bayoh of Awoko to ask if he thought, SLPP were to learn lessons from the elections in the State and he told me, he hoped, they were going to. Though he had his interpretation as to what was actually responsible for the defeat of Berewa by Ernest Koroma, he also holds the view that, there was an internal problem from within the SLPP, and they will keep learning from more political events to come.
Another lesson probably would be the readiness of African politicians to concede defeat, as John McCain did, when he realized he had been defeated by Obama. I listened to his concession speech and it exhibited a statesmanship like character on his part, and this was the least I had expected of SLPP who failed to do their homework well, but later wanted to use the courts to get them to power. But they failed woefully.
Even when his supporters were booing at him, McCain was still unbendable to say, he called on Senator Barack Obama to 'congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love...' A complete manifestation that, Americans put their country first and I wonder how many African Presidents would do that.
Look at Zimbabwe, where the political class is yet to get settled after that country's elections months back, Zambia where I learnt, Michael Sata, the opposition leader, just like the SLPP in Sierra Leone, intends going to court to challenge the results, and even the fatherland of the President elect of America, Kenya, where blood was spilled before the dust finally settled.
McCain was even bold to call on his supporters to join him as he intended his congratulations to Obama. Berewa never did that, and in fact, there are still the views that, the SLPP were cheated by Christian Thorpe. But when will they say the contrary? The SLPP must be serious and face the challenges of the time.
O yes, even the ruling APC must have something to learn from the elections in the USA. Prior to, and even after the elections, we are yet to learn of a situation wherein, a supporter of the Obama camp, chasing an opponent just because they (Democrats) have won. Did the APC get me right? Politics is all about a winner and a loser and until this fact is accepted we will ever remain where we are.
Looking at the outcome of the elections from the viewpoint of expectations from Africans, it is but true that Africans are highly expecting goodies from America for the fact that, he is an African-American. But we must be realistic of the fact that, he has a lot to do, though a lot to offer as well. There is the Middle East crisis, the financial crunch crisis that his predecessor has created; there is the fight against HIV/AIDES and many more. And besides, he was not elected just to serve the African interest.
However, he has stretched his hands to Africa by saying that, ' ... to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world, our stories are singular but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand...' Are we 'in the forgotten corners'? Well I look forward to seeking a changed America and a changed world
Obama, this is your time to 'put our people back to work and open doors of opportunities and for kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace', where? In the Middle East.
My appeal? Well it is simple and straight forward; Obama, no commission of enquiry against the Republican officials, and to the Republicans, if any commission of enquiry, don't call it a witch-hunting, but go according to the dictates of the law. This is because, as Americans, you have got a new birth of freedom under God as once said by Abraham Lincoln. You are now engaged in a great civil war, that of uniting the whole word, through an African-American, whose name is Barack Obama.
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