Political leaders - where are the good ones?

Many countries around the world suffer from a dearth of good leaders, let alone great ones.

It seems to be a global issue that many troubled nations are governed by people who shouldn't be at the helm in the first place. The question that is foremost in most politically conscious people's minds is "where have all the good leaders gone?"

Sometimes, we are tempted to proclaim that those countries have trouble with their leaders have only themselves to blame. Here, I am referring to those countries that dutifully hold elections once every five years.

If the majority pick the wrong leader, or so it seem, who do the people have to blame? But looking at the issue with some depth, sometimes the matter is not as simple as it seems.

For example, in some countries that have known nothing but military regimes for decades, this can be a problem. One fine example is Burma or Myanmar. This blessed country has been under the military yoke for as long as my young memory can remember.

As a result of the army's iron fist, quite a number of its people have gone overseas to eke out a decent living. Perhaps there's a moral to it all, but right now it escapes me.

Good or bad, all national leaders shall one day be compelled to step down, either due to old age or poor health. Nobody lives forever and that is the universal truth.

The popular phrase: And this too shall pass... has been applied to many circumstances in the history book of mankind. Civilisations that stretch from North POle to South Pole have their ups and downs but we humans have very limited life spans.

For most of us, 70 years of earthly existence is about it. But the basic truth to any nation's destiny is that the future is in the hands of its people. We alone will decide who shall lead us.

But people's memories are short. In many instances, politicians prefer to tell us that they are the only ones who can decide our future. Never has there been a bigger lie.

Ordinary people need to be told and reminded that their future and the country's future SHOULD be decided by themselves!

And if the people pick the wrong guy, they can always throw him out in the next election. Everything that goes around comes around. If the people pick the wrong candidate, they shall have to put up with the joker's antics for the next five years.

That is why it is very important to have an educated population, or as many people as possible being aware of the choices that they have. And there's also the right to choose.

Choose wisely then, my friends.

Why Obama is good for America

Before you read any further, let me tell you that this is a biased piece and nothing is based on facts, and everything on emotion and intuition.

Barack Obama is probably the first African-American since the American Independence to stand a realistic chance of entering the White House. He talks like JFK, has shades of Abe Lincoln in him and occasionally rises to the occasion with a reverberating tempo of Martin Luther King Jr.

Does that vocal prowess make him the perfect president? Realistically no. But he sure has a lot going for him at this point. For one thing, Obama has a certain naivety that's charming.

He's obviously widely read and fairly intelligent. Intelligence is not THE quality that makes a great president. Take for example Ronald Reagan. Everybody knows that he's not the brightest of the lot but many people remember him for his warmth, his likeability and his ability to rouse a nation to their feet with a few well chosen phrases.

Sure, he might have borrowed some of those lines from his Hollywood past, but who cares, they worked!

Obama comes from a background of mixed races. He's under 50, still has that twinkle in his eyes and a little bounce on his feet. America needs someone like him to remind the nation that it's not all about foreign policy and oneupmanship.

Sometimes, the best qualities of a president are not found in his resume. It's how he relates to people. It's how he touches their hearts and brings out the best in all of them.

Can someone with an IQ of 190 inspire 270 people to do their best for the country's future and for themselves? Probably not, if all he has to offer are some well thought out solutions to complicated global issues that may have little bearing on America's future.

In a way, Obama's limited experience with political administration is an advantage. He doesn't know that much about buttering up to those with shady motives. He's not quite aware yet of the intricacies that come with huge campaign funds and moguls who perpectually like returns on their financial investments.

Obama's greatest asset right now is that he has managed to awaken the spirit in the young of America. He has managed to convince a large number of these young people that they can do something about their future.

He has urged them to believe in themselves. He has talked them out of a political stupor. Obama's speeches have brought back a certain pride in being called an American.

Right now, America is not in a very good place. No nation can be perpectually in the right place or good place after two centuries. There will be challenging times. There exist confusing times. There will be time for reconciliation.

Obama seems to stand for all these and a little bit more. Can America survive without Obama? Most certainly, it could. Does America need a person like Obama now? Most definitely, it does.

Seasoned politicians are all good at spewing rhetoric but at the end of the day, that's all there is - words. What counts is what happens after the speeches have been delivered. Will there be action? Will there be a momentum that is created by a man's inspiring words?

This man who has come of age exists now to bring America back to her feet and stand proudly to face the rest of the world, and say: "We are Americans and we represent the best there is in our nation, and in our success, we will strive that all our allies will share in our glory and our wealth, so help us God!"