Big business paid $1-billion for Obama hope

Few people have wondered how much it cost America to have its first … er, post-racial president. Not long ago I heard former cabinet minister Kader Asmal tell a public gathering that it cost $1-billion!

Of course if that is true the historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the so-called first “black president” of the US comes at a very big price. Perhaps it was worth it as it marks the end of “racial politics” in the world. It should be enough proof why there should be no obsession with skin colour when it comes to choosing a leader in any part of the world.

In fact, his meteoric rise is evidence that anything is possible if you have … er, hope. And, of course, the racist American political system has produced psychological benefits for blacks despite the fact that there will be no fundamental transformation in how things work. We are at the end of the beginning of the first decade of the 21st century and it is very important for all of us to understand that black political aspirations have now fully been integrated into the mainstream.

Thus there are a number of points that we need to highlight and celebrate. First, white racism, which historically has been stubbornly resistant to black advancement, has undergone profound change. It can be said that whites in America now appreciate what is right.

We must not forget that Obama won, largely, due to the support of white voters. Indeed, blacks may have come out in great numbers to make things happen but they would not have achieved this on their own. Second, American democracy has, for the first time in many decades, become a global inspiration for change and hope. It is an example of peaceful transformation of power in the middle of a serious economic meltdown.

Former president George Bush not only attended the inauguration but was physically present to be the first person to embrace and congratulate Obama as his successor. Unlike in Africa, for instance, Bush did not pursue narrow, selfish individual interest but put the nation first by upholding and respecting their freedom of political association and choice.

It should not be difficult for the world to tolerate any leader who does not accept the results of a democratic process. What this means is that Africa, for instance, must immediately stop treating a former liberation hero like Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as a superstar.

Third, the American political miracle, which has seen the emergence of an Obama, is a clear lesson that blacks must do away with their victim syndrome. Over the last century blacks have grown accustomed to the idea that they will neither be free nor equal to their white counterparts, especially in America. But they must now reject that idea as Obama has revealed that they have the potential, power and opportunity to become what they want to be in pursuit of the American Dream.

The argument that blacks are a perpetual victim of white racism must, henceforth, be put under serious scrutiny.
Everybody, especially blacks, must take responsibility for what happens or fails to happen in their lives and stop making white people feel guilty.

Finally, “people power” in America has revealed that it is possible to choose a leader for his principles rather than the colour of his skin. The “rainbow coalition” between blacks, whites and yellow people has confirmed that all the people of the world can become “one big family under one heaven”.

We have witnessed how Americans, irrespective of background, race and religious outlook, have coalesced into one formidable force to transform their political institution and processes. Nothing less than “people’s power” has put Obama into a historic position to be widely regarded and affirmed as a “people’s president”.

Of course, the Obama victory and inauguration should have fundamental implications for South Africa. It means that the future of how we deal with racial politics must change. When we consider Obama’s victory, we should realise that the talent and political resources of blacks have become part of the mainstream.

The biggest challenge for black leadership, especially here at home, is to guarantee the dawn of a truly non-racial society where people are not judged by the colour of their skin but the content of their character. Though there is a risk that there will be no fundamental change in the lives of poor blacks, Obama is correct to remind them that change begins with the individual.

In fact, if you change the way you look at life, life itself changes the way it looks at and treats you. Obama’s presidency symbolises that transcendental power, hope and possibility.