The Hope For Change

There is no doubt about the fact that Obama’s victory has inspired the world about the possibility of profound change in democracy. From fighting against slavery and for voting rights, ending of segregation and finally the moment of winning U.S. presidency, it truly has been an emotional journey for the minority blacks in the most powerful country in the world. People around the world have been fascinated; so it is not surprising if they have the same dream for similar democratic process to unfold, where a competent leader can be elected from ethnic minority without any major hindrance. I have no qualms that other countries may triumphantly undergo similar transformation, but what are the inherent challenges to overcome?

Obama’s exceptional victory is truly unique, and I believe it can never be replicated anywhere else in the world. Even if we argue from the historical context that ethnic minorities usually had to undergo rather similar paths of hardships before achieving some degree of equality and benefiting from more political transformation eventually, we can not ignore the present and circumstantial context which greatly aided Obama’s election. This is a tumultuous period where Americans are largely disappointed by Republican administration with faltering foreign relations, never-ending wars against terror, and the greatest impact of all – the current domestic economic woes. There is no question about their yearning for change, and Obama projects the strongest leadership for that to happen.

So the path toward having an ethnic minority to rise up to the highest leadership not only requires some gradual changes but also extraordinary circumstances to take place. First and foremost, as long as wide socio-economic disparity still exists across races; especially if disproportionately large number of ethnic majority still live in poverty, then election of an ethnic minority to top leadership will face tremendous resistance. Unfortunately in countries that have long been segregated by ethnic-based political parties and policies; as well as troubled by large income gap among different races, it will be difficult for people to put national interests first before economic progress for respective race when it comes to selecting the most competent leader. In those countries people most likely still inherently believe only a leader from the same ethnic background would take care of their interests or simply believe that the ethnic majority should lead.

The first challenge intrinsically leads to the second challenge which I think is the toughest to overcome – the willingness of citizens to look beyond ethnic background in selecting the most competent leader. Assume the first challenge can be resolved, there is still no guarantee that the ethnic majority who have been ruling all the while are willing to give up their political power even if there is clearly an exceptional ethnic minority leader. In multi-ethnic countries, within historical and constitutional context there are designated distinctions between the natives and the immigrant minorities who were later granted citizenships and guaranteed socio-economic privileges to help the natives to progress. This political system tends to justify a false sense of racial superiority and subsequent leadership selection in present day.

This also leads to our third challenge – constitutions and racially-segregated policies developed through historical context and which discourage any future consideration for electing a competent ethnic minority to top leadership. Those who benefit the most will resist any call for change, even the slightest hint to call for constructive debates or discussions will be banned in the name to preserve racial harmony. As long as we leave no chance for revision on biased constitutional laws and policies, it is simply impossible for us to take a step forward.

It should be clear that Obama’s example is hard to be the democracy model for other countries to follow, given their vastly different political and social elements. Also bear in mind that the election of an ethnic minority to the highest leadership in the country does not immediately end racial politics and inequality which is supposed to be the utmost priority. Real change requires solving all the intricate challenges mentioned above or perhaps even more in different countries with varying degree of maturity in democracy. Only when citizens – both ethnic majorities and minorities are compelled by external forces; and start pushing for real change to happen relentlessly, only then it will become a reality. History has reminded us, it is citizens who see the needs and demand changes first rather than politicians who are always slow to anticipate and react to political changes required in the most current context. Or often we also tend to wait until external circumstances such as wars, economic crises or globalization processes to compel us to change in leadership or beyond.

So indeed U.S. has set the precedent for change through democratic progress but it is still unrealistic to expect the same thing will happen anytime soon in other countries. There is still a long road ahead for most countries to become a truly democratic society. I hope to see the day when we can free our imprisoned mind from segregating ethnic majorities and minorities, shift our judgment and perception toward meritocracy and social safety for the needy irrespective of races. Then it will be the day of real change to benefit the whole nation.