Media Statement by Liew Chin Tong in Penang on
Wednesday, 5th November 2008:
Malaysia should take inspiration
from Obama’s victory
In defeating Republican candidate John
McCain, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is now the 44th
President of the United States.
The Democratic Action Party welcomes the election of Barack Obama, as it
heralds a new era of chage with worldwide ramifications.
Firstly, 45 years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream”
speech, a coloured child who grew up on welfare food stamps has won a
landslide election with the support of a majority of US citizens of all
ethnicities and classes, and risen to the position of President.
Obama’s election as President is food for thought for the world,
especially Malaysia.
The results do not demonstrate that racism does not exist in the United
States, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. But Martin Luther King Jr. and
many others have for generations fought for a country which does not
judge its people by colour, creed, religion or class.
Secondly, it is a historic election which spells the end of Reaganomics
with its emphasis on privatisation and other right-wing policies that
has contributed to the decline of the functions, capacity, integrity and
performance of the public sector, as well as the widening gap between
the rich and the poor. For instance, a cornerstone of Obama’s policies
is universal healthcare.
Malaysia, which was heavily influenced by Reaganomics during the
Mahathir years, should take heed of the lessons from Obama’s election
and re-look/reassess our privatisation policy. In addition, it is also
important that the government provides public goods, such as universal
education, public transport and medical services.
Thirdly, this election also saw the increased participation of its
citizens in exercising their democratic rights through the influence of
new technologies, particularly the Internet.
Perhaps Malaysia should take a leaf out of the US’ book with regard to
the increase of newly registered voters. At the moment, of the 15
million Malaysians above 21 years old, only 11 million or so are
registered voters. Of that number, only about 7 million turned out to
vote during the March General Election.
This practice is unhealthy for the functioning of a democracy and must
be changed.
* Liew Chin Tong, DAP International Secretary & MP for
Bukit Bendera
http://dapmalaysia.org