with Carlos Antonio Leonardia

Millions, possibly billions of people all over the world came, stayed up, and tuned in to witness history being made during the inauguration of Barack Obama into the office of the President of the United States.  Aside from being the first person of color to ever hold that powerful and lonely office, he also replaces one of the most controversial leaders in modern history and inherits a floundering superpower that is mired in a highly unpopular war, stuck in the middle of a full blown recession, and is taking a lot of heat for its indifferent stance towards its role in the degradation of the planet.

Watching the inauguration of Barack Obama was like watching United States of America slowly regain its place as the planet’s beacon of democracy.  This was the culmination of the wildly improbable journey of a man whose descendants were considered less than human just a few generations ago.  This was a people’s indictment of ruler who led his country into a dubious war, a leader who in the words of his successor, sacrificed his country’s ideals for the sake of expedience.  And yet, in spite of the bitter words and the conflicts of opinion, the two leaders, surrounded by their ardent supporters, came together on that day to peacefully transfer the awesome responsibility of leading the country.

Barack Obama is in a position that is both enviable and unenviable at the same time.  Damaged politicians like the reigning leader of this third world country would probably sell their soul to the devil (if there is any left to sell) just to have half of Obama’s political capital at the moment of his inauguration.  Despite the mind numbingly high expectations and the general feeling of distress being felt by most of his countrymen, they are willing to give him a chance to prove himself. 

It may be a very short leash, but at least they are willing to listen to him speak and give him a chance to perform.  Politicians that have spent the last decade lying, clinging to power at all costs, cheating and stealing do not get such a chance.  They get to speak only to a prepaid, preselected audience of supporters while the rest of the country dismiss the things that come from their tainted mouths as propaganda and outright lies.  On the other hand, no sane human being would want to be the president of the United States at this troubled time.  The challenges, as well as the possibility for failure, are exceptionally humongous.  Only the truly courageous, the truly stupid, or the truly B.S. (Bilib sa Sarili) would put themselves in such a position.  Some have compared Barack Obama to athletes like Kobe Bryant, who demand the ball at crucial moments in the game, willing to take the risk to ultimately win or lose the game.  However, a NBA game, even the NBA championship, is nothing compared to the fate of a country of 300 million people, a country that has the largest nuclear arsenal in the planet, a country that has the ability to wage a war at the snap of a finger, a country whose economy is the lynchpin of the global economy. Just like his inauguration, the world will be closely watching him to see if Barack Obama can deliver the goods under this kind of pressure.

Watching the inauguration of Barack Obama made me feel sick at the stomach because we live in a country where even the simple matter of the next presidential elections cannot be guaranteed, where even if elections were held, the true will of the people might never be determined because the cheaters will prevail.  In witnessing the radical change in the U.S. government, I would like to feel hopeful, but the doubt remains on whether if the institutions that were put in place to protect the will of the people have withstood the corruption and degradation that has been unleashed on it by those whose only interest is staying in power at all costs.

When will we ever have a duly elected president who can fill us with hope, lift our spirits, make us proud to be Filipinos, one we can actually look up to as a role model for ourselves and our children, one who can credibly challenge and inspire us to put our country ahead of our own selfish interests?  Will we ever see a crowd like that one that gathered for the inauguration of Barack Obama? A crowd that came to celebrate a peaceful transfer of power instead of one that gathers in disgust to protest corruption and the abuse of power?

Hopefully, in 2010, we Filipinos can have something to look forward to, even if it is not as earth shattering or historic as the inauguration of Barack Obama.