As I was doing my journalism studies, I asked one local great journalist for advice of how to deal with government officials; he had a brief answer to me that “Governments lie” notably to achieve their intended desires at that particular time. I remember locally as people were campaigning in 2004 in Malawi, they promised 100% availability to the media for conferences and interviews but once there they seem too busy to engage the media. Can Malawi and Africa learn anything from the campaign going on in America?
What has created the general interest of many Africans in the on going battle to the presidency is the nomination of Barack Obama as the candidate to lead the Democrats and be the president of the United States probably the first black American to become the president.
Barack has his roots in Africa in that his father is from Nyang’oma Kogelo, Siya District in Kenya who married Ann Dunham, a white American from Wichita, Kansas. This then means that Barrack has African blood running in his veins.
Come January, President George W.Bush must step down as American president and allow either John McCain or Barrack Obama rule the country. This will be after ruling America for two terms and invading the Popular Iraq and making Saddam Hussein disappear in what they termed as Iraq producing weapons of mass destruction. In addition, the war in Afghanistan which was “fight against terrorism” after America was hit in the popular 9/11.unlike his competitor McCain who supported Bush and the US led war in Afghanistan, senator Obama strong opposes the war.
The two wars have brought mixed reactions in America with others saying they were justifiable while other people saying more problems have been increased out of the wars.
Barrack Obama is one of the people who believes America should withdraw its troops in Iraq where they are dying together with other innocent people. Obama favors ending development of new nuclear weapons, reducing the current U.S nuclear stockpile, enacting a global ban on production of fissile material. He describes these as his top priorities if elected.
Songs have been composed in favour of Obama and the chances of him winning are high with the recent standings putting him on high rank. He will be the first black American president to lead America if elected bringing the vision martin Luther King Jr. had in his I had a dream to reality.
What makes Africans more eager is the perception that the rise of an African American in US will make poverty in Africa reduced as he might bring in deliberate policies of bailing Africa out of its poverty and problems. The question is should Africa really expect more from Obama?
People in many states do lie to get themselves into government and when they get themselves there they begin to changes policies probably because what they thought would work when they were outside is not they found inside. Mostly you find them blaming they preceding government for messing up the economy, having policies that do not work.
A small example of the innocence (or obsequiousness, to more exact) of the press is the way they reacted to the then secretary of state Colin Powell’s presentation in February 2003 to the UN security Council, a month before the invasion, a speech that may have set a record for the number of falsehood told in one talk. In it, Powell confidently rattled off his evidence with precise statistics of how many galloons of this and that existed for chemical warfare. The New York Times was breathless with admiration. The Washington Post was titled “Irrefutable” and declared that after Powell’s talk “It is hard to imagine how anyone could doubt that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction.
Indeed no Country or government progresses without looking at the past and how people dealt or overcame it. History makes the future. If we study many of the presidents that have ruled America, my mind remembered this local journalist.
The topic here is America but our local politics bares the same. When one journalist challenged with figures that there is hunger in the country, the authorities denied it. What followed was a ban of private maize traders in a desperate move to solicite more maize for the market through a centralised system. In my view that was a complete admission that the country is in scarcity of maize and the only thing the government was, avoiding was the mention of hunger which would have pulled the governments vote down.
Africa’s interest in Americas election is the bailing out of the continent from unjustifiable conditions attached to funding, complete democracy with no dictation from America or any other state, Africa is looking to concentration on the eradication of poverty, cancer and many other disease, indeed Africa’s interest is to see that no funding comes in support of any war but total end and solutions to wars. Africa is looking for improved trade relations between the two continents.
To me the same blood will just mean racism but if Obama is having good policies is having good policies, let America vote for him, if its McCain let Americans vote for him, let’s have a balanced election in America to set an example to any country that will be holding elections in 2009 and beyond. These elections will prove whether racism in America is indeed history or a lip service.
We have heard senator MacCain, Republican of Arizona, repeatedly referred to as a war hero. Yes we must sympathise with McCain’s ordeal as a war prisoner in Vietnam where he endured cruelty. Trust me; my conscious will not be at peace if I don’t mention that I hate war for any cause as long as it bears the name war. Must we call someone a hero who participated in the invasion of a far off country and dropped bombs on innocent men, women and children? Unless he comes in to serve the interests of the world, I remain non committal on my support to him.
Obama may have a Kenyan father, he may have some sweet policies for Africa, and he may even be the next US president, would he have any major impact in the continent? I have great reservations about it.
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