Two very significant events that will effect people of the world, in general, and people of the United States and New Zealand in particular! (election of Obama in the US, and the election of John Keys in NZ.)
Obama's election as the first Afro-American President of the United States, signals a powerful change in US politics and people's attitudes there..........in a country
"dominated" by people of European descent, with most of the American presidents and senior politicians clearly bearing names with an English, European and Jewish ring : Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Kissinger, Madeline Albright..........with significant changes when Blacks or Asians "arrived" on the scene : Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, and Bobby Jindall.But the election of Barack Obama to the highest office in the United States is of huge and awesome significance! One of the great historical watersheds in US and world history!
And it comes at a time when the world and the United States are facing an unprecedented situation, the economic crisis that effects all of us. Reckless and totally unregulated management of the free market economy, leading to the "fall" of several reputed companies, Wall Street and world markets in downturn, loss of jobs and homes, a recession that must be reversed. The short sighted policies of companies, who for a quick buck, and no one looking over their shoulder, giving away fat salaries and perks to their CE Os whilst the company made losses, the unbridled shift of jobs to countries where salaries come cheap but not doing this with a balanced approach when jobs in their home countries should also have been secured. (a 3 stage manufacturing process, for example, should have had 1 or 2 stages in a country where labour is cheap, the 3 rd stage continued in the home country, instead of shifting all 3 stages to the cheap market!)
To make matters worse we all face security issues unprecedented in world history, the very ugly rise of terrorism that has taken on a global scale, and needs to be stopped at the soonest, through both changes in dealing with people, and tough action where talks don't work! (Here the aspirations of all peoples of the world should be looked at with great degree of sympathy, especially the frustration and sense of injustice some people feel, this first...............reach out and talk...................but a very tough hand on those who use senseless, crude and life threatening means to express their feelings and agendas.)
"Change" is nothing new............all civilisations, countries, religions, cultures, institutions that believed in change, flexibility, recognising changing aspirations of people, new and changed circumstances, survive and thrive..........all stubborn and non-malleable forms of human endeavours never outlive their usefulness.
Here, in New Zealand, people have elected the National party, John Keys, the National leader and Prime minister designate, after 9 years under Helen Clarke and Labour...........time for change here as well!
Helen Clark represents wisdom and experience and a long productive stay in NZ politics, but now "ageing" as a leader, and showing up a trifle inflexible..........stubborn policies in taxing people, over spending and lack of real incentive in keeping people here in NZ.........decreasing opportunities; besides Helen Clark was seen as shielding people around her who failed, with exposed money scandals or inefficient handling of their responsibilities.
John Keys in now elected "man of the hour," people want some fresh look and solutions to NZ's problems, bring around more job opportunities, cut tax rates, stop recession, and my personal plea...........please bring in talented people into the country, create wealth by targetting NZ's potential for growth, more exports, broaden the base for imports, (this means less products from China !) and more indigenous consumption of fair priced products, more money in people's hands without damaging cuts in public spending, more cost effective but real health support. More education, free or subsidised where deserving, reasonably priced where affordable; no family assistance where people can work, especially young people!
So congratulations, to Mr Obama and Mr John Keys!!!
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