I gotta say it. Heck, I'm proud that I'm living in Chicago in this unprecedented moment, when America elects its first African American President! And studying in the UofC, where Mr. President, Barrack Hussein Obama once taught constitutional law in the Law School? Or living in Hyde Park, and in fact just a few blocks away from Regents Park, where Obama resides? And the fact that I've been on the 21st floor of Regents Park when the Obama family is just 15 floors above? Tres cool, tres cool, indeed! It's times like this when the pain of being in "The (hell yeah) Windy City" (that makes your lips crack and leaves your freezing ears begging to be kept under the hood/scarf/ear muffs) is discounted. And what beats having your dorm as the one of the polling locations in Hyde Park?
I must confess I didn't follow the 2008 US Elections as closely I should have. But talk about lam-pi (stands for lambat pickup), I just ordered some Obama magnets because I know my mom would be euphoric if she got one of those. Hah, but my thoughts of outsmarting businesses by buying the election paraphernalia after the election did not work. I repeat, did not work. They got rid of the election momento-s and replaced them with "Obama: 44th American President"things instead. So I didn't get to buy election goodies for cheap, and in fact paid more as I had to fork out for shipping costs as well. Little girl thought she could outsmart those shark, sharp, profit-first businesses, who was she kidding?
I got side-tracked, never mind. But I meant to say, I was never disinterested. I took time to listen to the students at the Quads campaigning for Obama, handing out fliers, prepping volunteers for out-of-state campaigns, etc. I took time to google the names I saw being chalked on the pavements on campus-- Ron Paul, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Joe Biden. And I saw, heard and learned aplenty. The night of the election, I joined the hundreds on campus in watching the big-ass screens they sat up on campus.
When they shouted, I shouted. When they stood up and applauded for Obama, I gave him a standing ovation too. When they cried and hugged, I could understand why. The air was so charged with emotions of hope and of fear, of relief and happiness, of pride and thrill. Obama represented everything people thought was impossible, not to mention the best change the whole world really vouched for--becoming the first Black president, and marking the end of the darkest phase America has gone through.
The ambience the day after was inspiring! In the dining halls, I saw the happy grins and twinkle in the eyes of the cooks and helpers. I heard the excited chatter about Obama's historical win and the amazing night at Grant Park (which I *sobsob* missed). In the hallways, knowing smiles were passed, as if students were greeting each other with "Yes, we did!". Hang on, you may say, why am I so excited about a foreign country's president elect? Of course I must care! Whatever America, the powerhouse of the world, decides, the whole world is affected too! Here's to hoping that Obama would bring some good change to the world. He's undeniably got skyhigh expectations to live up to, especially with the American economy plummeting and its past foreign policies creating damage to say the least. Good luck, sir!
The political activism here is a stark contrast to that in Malaysia. Any person, young or old, in an educational institution or not, is given agency to voice out and be heard. Students are in fact, the main driving force in the Democratic campaign this elections. People in America wants out from Bush and his ilk policies, and they show it. They rally, they wear badges, they create catchy banners and wear sassy political tees. Even kids in preschool and elementary school are so involved! I tutor first graders (who are super cute and amazing, btw) at the St. Thomas the Apostle School and listen to them:
"My mommy says Obama will be the next president".
"Granma says Mr. Obama is going to be the best president ever!"
Gosh! When I was that age, I don't think I recall even knowing if the elections were on, though I do know Dr. Mahathir was the PM, and that he was/still is a leader extraordinaire!=) Anyhow, here's a picture of them making an oh-so-messy-but-it's-thought-that-counts banner for Obama. The banner reads "Thank you Mr. Obama for becoming our new president. We love you".
I just think that perhaps this is the reason why some young Malaysians don't break out from their cocoons (hell, I think a part of me is still, anyways) or open their eyes to important issues. We don't get the exposure. We're told to be quiet and be complacent. We're taught in school that we can't discuss openly about politics (though we still do). And it still bewilders me how fantastic the SPM and PMR results turn out to be anytime the country nears an election. Can't be a coincidence can it? I'm probably not the most qualified person to be talking about politics and all that jazz, and I certainly don't want to, but I do know that I think students, especially in universities should be given the chance to participate in such important movements like campaigning and canvassing for politicians. We're after all the generation who's going to live through the years and face the effects of the constitution and policies, so why must we be silenced?
But of course, the big part of this problem is on the part of the youngsters as well. You know, where person A gets too distracted, joins the rowdy gang, and goes marching up and down to uphold "Reformasi" at Jalan TAR, and completely leaves studies. Or young, person B who maliciously attacks (verbally, and even scarily, physically) people of different political stands. And uninformed student C who only comments and talks big at mamak Ali Maju or Syed Bistro but knows no shit. That's when the reading and being informed comes in--pick up newspapers (and don't believe everything it says, hehe), read blogs, master two sides of a coin before you open your mouth lah, then only you're not that mentah, "tin kosong" people will condemn. (That was a note to self as well).
Alas, there's no dispute there that getting to the stage of political awareness like in the USA requires moderation and respect for others, which in Malaysia we may lack of, seeing to how many university students who were violently involved in the last political turmoil back in 1998. It doesn't have to be through fights, or slander fits and fist-action. All you need is a rational argument and the gift-of-the-gab, so you can actually get people to listen to your two-cents worth on why you think YB A is hampeh or why YB B is the bomb. And all the government needs to do in its part is to is trust the rakyat. Amin.
