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Irish Independent, 14th November 2008
THE developing world has had a lonely wait for a man of promise, as opposed to a man of promises, to appear. Since age and the exhaustion of a lifelong struggle to win justice in his homeland removed Nelson Mandela from the international arena, the poor have been without a champion.
The emergence of Barack Obama, a man of substance in an age of soundbites and cynicism has given grounds for real hope for a "new deal" for those who have been forgotten in the Third World.
Fittingly it was Mandela himself who spotted their opportunity first with Obama's triumph. In his letter of congratulation to the soon to be 44th President of the world's remaining superpower, he wrote: "We are sure you will ultimately achieve your dream of making the United States of America a full partner in a community of nations committed to peace and prosperity for all." Those two little words "for all" are what have been missing for so long.
He has pledged himself to be a leader who reaches out, words like renewal, and reconciliation roll off his tongue. But the extraordinary thing is that they sound so genuine. The test is, now that he has made it to be "top dog", will he keep his commitment to the underdog?
Barack Obama has singled himself out as their hero. He cut his teeth in the bare knuckle world of Chicago politics. He took on and saw off the challenge of America's two most formidable political dynasties: the Clintons and the Bush family, to get where he is. He did so with a pledge of change.
The response in Africa was one of near ecstasy. They see in Obama's victory a further potential triumph over the indifference and injustice that has so enslaved their continent in the chains of abject poverty.
To borrow Mandela's words once more on the consequences of Obama's rise, he wrote: "No one in the world should be reluctant to dare to dream of wanting to change the world to a better place."
It seems the world has placed a very heavy burden on one man's shoulders by putting so much hope in one place. So when the first Afro-American president sits down at his desk on Capitol Hill early next year, and begins his great programme of change, expectations will be high.
And so they should be, for, as one former diplomat put it: "Obama is the 'triple-A' president; he is American, with strong connections to Africa -- and also Asia through his stepfather and having spent time in Indonesia. A person's world view is shaped by his own personal background as well as his education and work experiences." However, the 'A' on which he will ultimately be judged will be 'Action'.
Is the future President of the USA -- and by association the leader of the so called 'free world' -- going to be content with just representing the powerful or will he truly live up to his billing, and deliver on genuine change for those who are so far outside of the loop that they have become practically invisible?
In the 31 years I have worked in the developing world I have seen no significant change. India has become a world player and has built a thriving economy, but the country still has more poor people than any other on the planet.
There has been a lack of will to help by world governments. As the headwinds of recession build up, and countries focus on their own problems, the poor are likely to once again be the first casualty. The only thing that the starving have been consistently offered is a banquet of empty pledges served on golden plates. But there is now a real prospect of change. Mr Obama has all the gifts to be a world leader of great stature, at a time when too many have retreated in cynicism, there are new possibilities.
He has emerged with refreshing vision to offer something better. But whether this hope can only be bought into by the privileged of the West, or whether he is prepared to accept the baton passed on by Mr Mandela, remains to be seen. The new president will not be short of advice, but he might begin by reforming the UN. The people of Darfur and the Congo cannot be left to their miserable fates. Mr Obama, through his energy and office, can restore muscle and backbone to world leadership.
The strong must help the weak as Mr Obama has often suggested. The new president takes over as the world and America face huge challenges. If you are poor and starving, every day is an enormous challenge.
UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon has said that climate change and carbon use are the big problem for the planet. That may well be true in the West, but a more pressing concern in the Third World must be the 26,000 children who die every single day from hunger and preventable illness.
Mr Obama is a people person they say, one with a humanitarian soul. Millions all over Africa whose lives are plagued by poverty and corruption, are bristling with pride and optimism that one so close to their hearts and homelands, now holds the key to the corridors of power.
The rich have their lobbyists to see that their vested interests are looked after. All the poor have is their hope. For so long it has been trampled on. But there is every reason to believe that the "tall skinny kid with the funny name" -- as Obama described himself at school -- will find a place for them too in the new order. That indeed would be change.
John O'Shea is chief executive of aid agency GOAL |
