Endoh’s Dungeon

If only Singapore politicians can learn to speak, off the head and from the heart without muttering a simple sentence, I think they will definitely gain a little more respect. That’s the first thing on my mind when I woke up to the delightful news of Barack Obama winning the Democratic nomination for the US Presidency Election.

I have always preferred Barack Obama anyway. What drove me behind this man is his consistency in wanting to bring troops home from Iraq and the emphasis on making lives better for his citizens. I had also said sometime ago, that he was one whom I feel truly understands what the average citizen of America needs. When a country places too much attention to resolving problems in other countries and not the problems in her own, it spells trouble.

Previously, it was raking up supporters against Hillary’s. Now, Obama will have to figure how to win over Hillary’s supporters in the upcoming battle against Republican John McCain. It’s an interesting shift of strategy that I am sure will present another drama. Will Hillary’s supporters simply give up on the Democratic Party and switch side to back McCain? Well, let’s just watch and see.

There’s something respectable about this man that I have to mention, and that’s when he acknowledged the works of his oppositions in this election run. In which he said, “Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign not just because she’s a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she’s a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.”

On acknowledging McCain, Obama said, “They (the Republicans) will come here to nominate John McCain, a man who has served this country heroically. I honor that service, and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine.” Perhaps some of us would write that off as political sweet-talk but for a presidency candidate to sing praises of others’ contributions even before the big election is held, it’s a sheer display of gentlemanly engagement. This is enough to set Obama in a different class above the others.

How many times have we heard Singapore’s ruling party from acknowledging the good works of opposition parties? Hardly. In fact, politicians get petty as sore losers and I believe Mr Chiam See Tong is definitely a living example.

Obama had said the precious words that George Bush found hard to even consider, “It’s time for Iraqis to take responsibility for their future.” The world watched as American launched her attack on Iraq, in what Obama described as “a careless entry”. How true? How can we consider the increase of troops count in Iraq as a strategic move to gradually return power into the hands of Iraqis?

On another note, have countries began to place more attention on others than our very own citizens? I am sure Singaporeans often hear of the complaint of the influx of foreign “talents” into Singapore. In mocking contrast, Obama taunted McCain on his frequent talks “about trips to Iraq in the last few weeks” in which Obama highlighted, “Maybe if he went to Pennsylvania and met the man who lost his job but can’t even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one, he’d understand that we can’t afford four more years of our addiction to oil from dictators.”

Walk the talk, not just talk the talk.

I feel Singaporeans should make an example out of this US election and see that the citizens are indeed empowered to “change” the life we are complaining about. The Rights and desire to shape things is in our hands. “Change” had been the keyword for Obama’s entire campaign and his supporters have made that change. I wonder when will we ever see “change” in Singapore. In fact, I can’t even count on our local politicians to fully absorb Obama’s deterring words of “seeing our opponents not as competitors to challenge, but enemies to demonize.”

For a matter of fact, if the characters in the below video are any of our local politicians, guess what will happen? You’ll most probably find yourself getting sued and jailed. But hey, at least it’s much more entertaining than MDA’s rap and much more entertaining to watch.