Obamania - Lessons for India?

And so Barack Obama has become the first African-American to be elected as President of the United States. The television channels are going ga-ga over this historic election, the internet is agog with activity (according to this post, CNN.com had 27 million unique visitors on their site and 276 million page views - these numbers are pretty staggering, one should admit) and Obamania will doubtless grip the print media and tomorrow's edition of every newspaper will have Obama plastered all over it. The Illinois senator, whom not many gave a chance to win the Democratic nomination an year ago, let alone the winning the Presidential race, is now laughing all the way to the White House. This campaign was one of the most widely covered - not only in the US but outside it as well - and also one of the most expensive. It often got acrimonious and even ugly, especially with John McCain's campaign not letting go any opportunity to smear their opponent. Anyways, countless reams have already been written about this, and this post is not my tuppence to what has already been written. I would rather like to collect some of my thoughts - some which flitted in and out of my mind over the course of the campaign (while reading about it on the Internet or the newspapers) and some of the more recent ones.
The first is a line McCain said in his concession speech.

...But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.

As I was listening to this little bit, I couldn't help but ask myself, "Can we say the same thing about our politics?" Can we say that the hundreds of crores of ordinary Indians believe that they can make a difference through their vote. Well, apparently not, if we look at voter turnouts in all elections - from the elections to the City Corporations, to the State Assembly elections to, of course, the National elections. Do we have the leaders (or can we even think of a single leader) who can stir this feeling within us?
The second is about the issues being discussed. Well, having never lived in the US, I can only form my opinion on the basis of what I read on the internet and newspapers. But the Presidential debates, or even the appearances of the Presidential (and Veep) hopefuls on television are something to take notice of. They are about specific issues and the candidates are quizzed about specific solutions to the issues. Whether or not the candidates reply is political rhetoric is another question. But the elections are fought on issues - healthcare, economy, taxes, jobs. I do not recollect any election in India fought on specific issues. Parties do release a manifesto, but that is at the Party level. Individual candidates are never quizzed about their commitment to the manifesto, or about their particular solutions, their suggestions. Agreed that democracy in America is much more evolved than here in India. Agreed that the social dynamics are hugely different. But we never have a candidate who has specific visions on improving primary education, on affordable health-care, on the state of the roads (or the lack of them). All we have is jingoism and un-abashed display of political might and election speeches which hardly have any substance.
The third is the transparency with which funds used by the campaign are tracked. Well, I'll not be niave enough to say that all is fair in the US presidential elections and shady deals do not take place. But I was indeed amazed this morning to read an account of the break-up of the funds utilized by either campaign. Do we have the same accountability? Do we even come close? Do we have a impartial watch-dog that does the book-keeping? If we do, then I'm not aware of it. The Election Commission does look into all the issues. But why isn't the data made public, if it does collect all this data?! The taxpayer has a right to know where his money is going!
But perhaps the most important of all things is the fact that this is the first time an African-American has been elected to the highest office in the United States. And in this context some startling (or surprising, to say the least) facts came to light. Barack Obama is only the third African-American to be elected to the Senate. This is rather surprising for a country which prides itself for providing every person the opportunity to pursue his/her dream. I would think that India does pretty well in this aspect. No, I'm not going to be beating my chest like a nationalist about how well we've done! But I honestly feel that India does have a very commendable record. Of people from all walks of life, from religious and ethnic minorities being elected to high office, of being elected to Government bodies - and serving with distinction, one might add. Whether it is the Government, or Defence Services, or Corporate organizations, India has provided opportunity to people from diverse backgrounds. I would not like to trivialize the issue by looking at people's caste or religion. But here in India, in spite of many short-comings, we do have a multi-cultural representation in most walks of life. And that is where lies our strength. Not long before, an African-American (or a black, to use the politically incorrect words) would not be seen as having a chance to occupy the 'White' House (no pun intended). In India, we accept without raising an eyebrow a Muslim being the Commander-in-Chief of our Defence Forces. A Christian being the country Defence Minsiter does not raise hackles. Well, their religion is not important, but the point I want to make is that these events are considered routine in a Hindu-majority country. Today, Barack Obama has created history. But before this, how many Americans would have given a coloured person a chance at occupying the highest office? But what is sad - almost tragic - in India is that the political class is sowing the seeds of dissension by following a mindless policy of appeasement of the religious, linguistic and ethnic minorities. Instead of rallying and unifying the country, they are sowing the seeds of its demise...
And last, but not the least, how many politicians would graciously accept defeat and pledge support to the winner to strive so that we

... leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited
John McCain, in his concession speech

Can we hope to get politicians who will strive to make this a better place to live in? Who will put aside petty political differences and unite people instead of dividing them? Well, a people get the leaders they deserve...