Obama and the world (first of two parts)

"Yes, we can." The slogan that was heard and is still being chanted all throughout America. The chant that elected Obama as the first ever black President of the United States of America.

Change. Obama and his party ran on the platform of a new America, a new direction for this very powerful nation. Will then-Senator, now President-elect Obama turn America around? And will he, as well, make change possible for the rest of the world?

Being African-American, he knows the poverty that beset the African people as well as the poor of America. Being African-American, he knows as well the wealth and power of the American nation.

Will Obama spell the difference for peace and war in the world? Will he change the direction for America and encourage peace more than war? Will he recall their troops from war-ridden areas and bring them home to their waiting families?

The world awaits what Obama, the "yes-we-can" leader can and will do, not only for his people in America, but for Africa and the rest of the world.

In Japan as in the Philippines, there is much expectation about an Obama leadership. Young, dynamic, and black, will there be a shift towards more protection of human rights from now on? Will Obama lead the path towards the construction and strengthening of a global home and community, rather than a global economy and market?

In Japan which is at present hit by recession, where the government has allocated cash subsidies for those whose incomes fall below a certain minimum, will an Obama leadership help turn around the economy, not only of a very strong economic power like Japan, but the rest of the economies, especially of the developing nations, especially of the poorest nations in the world located in Africa?

Will the rest of the peoples of the world, in the near future, join the Americans in witnessing and experiencing genuine change in the quality of life and relationships of peoples and nations with a President-elect who convinced Americans that "yes, they can?"

   Obama's election can serve as an inspiration to the youth of our country. No matter how entrenched a powerful leadership may be, there is always time for change. No matter how powerful groups and leaders may think they are, there will always be other more powerful than them to replace them.

No matter how dire and hopeless circumstances may seem, there is always room for hope and change. "Yes, we can" can also be an inspiring slogan for Filipinos during this period. "Yes, we can change our leaders." "Yes, we can change corruption." "Yes, we can change trapos, traditional politicians." "Yes, we can" win the elections in 2010 and have truly genuine public servants finally as our leaders.

There is much hope and a brighter view of the present and the future with a leaderhip that inspired the electorate to look inward and believe that change is possible, that they could make that change possible.

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