A Confident, Arrogant and Celebrity New President
A Confident, Arrogant and Celebrity New President
(Comment on Obama’s Inauguration Speech on 20th, January 2009)
Barack Obama is definitely a historical president. Million of people around the world watched his inauguration at Capitol Hill alive on TV. He is phenomenal; he is a new American Idol.
Having been raised in Indonesia, Hawaii and United States, Obama has not only lived in a multi-cultural life, but also born with Kenya blood from his father and European blood from his mother. People around the world are admiring him and giving him a lot of hope.
I am neither a fan nor having any hatred to Obama, although at first I knew him from Oprah Winfrey show months before his primary campaign for Democrat Party, I have an appreciation for him. I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic to him. I have to be fair. As a historian (for my formal degree), I have read a lot of leaders like him reached and crowned gloriously, but fell down miserably. If we put too much hope to a person like him, it is not only foolish but it seems like we made him like a new god or someone new to worship. Yet, this is an opinion of someone who is not American, and never wants to be an American (I love Indonesia!)
As a historian too, I want to see him from a historian view. I totally agree that he is a bright and brilliant man. However, neither Harvard nor Yale makes you genius and wise, fair and caring. His lack of history knowledge about his own background, roots and the world around him is unfortunately a great disappointment for me.
From his inauguration speech, I know that he is still want to be a leader of the world, where USA still stand as a great conqueror of the world. Despite his excellent and charismatic character, at the end he is only an ordinary man. He is not a prophet or a God messenger. He doesn’t know everything in the world. Therefore, we must always critical to this man.
For your information, and these facts made it more important than his smart brain and character, he is admired by many people of the world not only because of that. How come Bill Clinton is not smart? How come George Bush is idiot? No, of course not. Even the cruelest man in the world like Gengis Khan and Adolf Hitler is genius on his own potential. Most commonly, Barack Obama is admired by his skin, for he has black skin, and there were no black person becomes a president of USA before, since USA had been one of the bloodiest fields for slavery, racism and discrimination in the world. Most commonly, Indonesian love him because he grew up in Jakarta for several years; he has a Javanese step-father and a half sister from him. Most commonly, he is admired by his colourful background, with Chinese brother-in-law, and of course Hawaiian background. He is also “promising” to some people because he has a unique name, which those names are originally Arabic roots.
Well, people have to consider this. He has no “slaves” ancestors although his father is a black man from Kenya. He does not know anything about Islam although he achieved middle name “Hussein” which is known as the name of Muhammad’s favorite grandson. He does not “read” and “understand” enough about the history lies behind the problems today in our world – economic, war, terrorism, poverty, and global warming – that most of them are the responsibility of USA policies of this century. If a man put on a fire, he would be the first who gets the smoke. When USA spend a lot of money to kill people and innocent children, USA is threatening its own people and the future of its children. When USA supports invasions (esp. by Zionist) for any reason, it is inviting and creating more and more people to hate its people. When USA took too much and too greedy as the number one capitalist in the world, its own people will lost houses and jobs for they never remember to be generous and to do sincere charity. When USA cut too many trees and burned too many jungle and use to many fuel, all through the hands of its capitalists in third world countries like Indonesia, God will ask Mother Earth to punish its people with natural disasters.
From the inauguration I watched, some points are worthy to note:
1. The protocol did not mention his full name Barack Hussein Obama, but Barack H. Obama. (It reminds me to Michael Jackson when he did the skin surgery to be like white person) Obama seemed has no hard feelings about this. He was smiling. Even though I am not a Hindu, but I like my beautiful full name Gayatri Wedotami given by my parents! I like to hear the prayer song “Gayatri..Gayatri…” and I don’t mind being mistaken as Indian.
2. What on earth he needs to interfere Afghanistan’s problems while in his own country he needs to deal with unemployment and financial crisis?
3. If he wants to criticize Iran’s nuclear, why don’t he did an introspection to himself, let the US government to check themselves in front of the mirror, as they still have the nuclear program too and support Israel’s nuclear.
4. Who on earth he wants to defeat? Is it he means that all Muslims are terrorists by saying that the world see by what “you” build and not by what “you” destroy? Come on, you, old-fashioned mind of US person. There is radicalism and fundamentalism in every religion.
5. Why did he only mention Afghanistan? Is he afraid of Zionists funds on him or he doesn’t know at all the genocide that Zionists had just done on their 22 days attack on Gaza early this year? 1300 innocent civilians died, not Hamas soldiers, and about 500 among them are children under 6 years old! This is not about race, faith or skin color anymore, but he certainly closed his eyes to these facts, that Israel’s weapons are more hazardous and dangerous, while he said he wants to keep the world for peace. Where is his humanity?
6. His foreign policy stated in his speech is still another shape and name of arrogance of US although he said he wants to make friends with the Islamic world, what does that mean?
What happen if…
What happen if Obama changes his religion, if it is not Islam, I love to see him become a Buddhist? What will the rest of US people say…He did not mention any Buddhist in his inauguration speech about the people in his country? I know there are Tzu Chi volunteers in US and some celebrities become Buddhist and pro-Tibet. It is not because I don’t like Christians, I appreciate all religion, but Islam, Hindu & Buddha are minority in US. Malcolm X as a Muslim did not scared and felt inferior with his faith (but it seems Obama is too ashamed with his Arabic origin name!), he even encourage black people to protest the segregation in 1960s, in the same track although not the same method, with Martin Luther King Jr.
The change he has to make…
In order to make my opinion clear about him, I appreciate for what he hopes and what he is willing to do for his nation. If I can say that being a president or a leader of either small or big country, both like being a leader of a family. The leader of a family, most commonly are male, needs to feed his family. So he or she (as to recently growing numbers of single mothers) needs to works and to have enough money.
There is a quote about being generous I really love: that the more you give, the more you get. Can’t Mr. Obama see why financial crisis hits US now? It could be a warning from GOD that this nation has been supporting an arrogant, greedy and selfish government too long …. If US want to get out from its financial problems, it is not enough just doing around to help the domestic problems… Uncle Sam as “a rich guy” turns “bankrupt” because he was too greedy and not giving sincerely enough to the world, instead of helping the weak, they create war by war. He spread too much hatred, not only to the Muslim world by supporting Zionists, but also to the rest of developing countries who doesn’t want to follow his economy ideology. He is not fair when it turns to the issues of terrorism; there is a different respond with what happened to Mumbai than to what had happened to Palestine; he has a double standard of each issue, for he is opportunist. Uncle Sam is neither blind nor deaf, but Uncle Sam can’t see problems clearly, and can’t hear problem carefully, for his heart is too filthy and his mind is too disgusting and his ambitious soul is worshipping money and materials.
I am happy to see that my country, although we are not rich in money and keep getting financial problems, but we can survive and we can still donate others. We support Gaza people not only because most of us are Muslims, because we also support Myanmar citizens under the military rules. I was crying when I watch “Schindler List”, “Miserable Life” and other movies about Holocaust. So, it is not about my faith when I get angry and I cry deeply for Palestine people. If there were no warriors like General Sudirman, Diponegoro, John Lie, Cut Nyak Dhien, Martha Tiyahahu, and others who fought with weapons against Dutch invasion, there would no Republic of Indonesia. Dutch called them “extremist” same with “terrorists” which Obama referred to Hamas, an organization which do the same thing like General Sudirman, Diponegoro and Cut Nyak Dhien’s troops. If Jews so called Zionist feel that “The Promised Land” lies in Palestine, and they feel that it should be not peopled by Palestinians or Arabs who had been live there for centuries, I would like to encourage Red Indians to gather and take back America! I would like to motivate Aborigine people to dispose back Australia! I would like to support Dravidians to ambush Aryans from India! I would let Dayak have its own country called Republic of Dayak Borneo! I would be happy to see a Republic of Ainu apart from Japan! Come, let’s break the history puzzle!
He should be more independent. Obama should read the history not only from the Western side’s view but also from the Eastern side’s view. Obama should remember that it is not only Syiah or Sunni idolize Imam Hussein but also by wise Christians who understand enough about his struggles*. Hussein Ali ra is not only Muhammad’s favourite grandson, but he is known for his fights against the injustice and corrupt government of Ummayah.
Obama should remember that once upon a time he sang the song “Syukur” (Grateful) a national song of Indonesia about we must be a grateful person for the freedom that God has given to Indonesia.
Obama should remember that Zionists took Palestinian lands since 1947, on whatever reason, faith or nationality, it still means that this is a colonialism because year by year Israel disposed hectare per hectare of Palestinian lands. Indonesian people achieved freedom by struggle, war and diplomacy, but by guerillas Indonesia finally gain its independency. And even American needs to use weapon to get away from the British rule. So, it is not Palestinians’ faults to attack Zionists to get their land back. If Zionist want to build the Jews country, build in an empty land where there is nobody live and don’t disturb the Arabs who had lived there since hundreds years ago!
Worthy to note to Mr. Obama, Master Cheng Yen said there is only TWO things that a man cannot delay to do. This message is also known to devout Muslims.
1. We have to do charity (to help others who really in need)
2. We have to respect our parents (by doing what they like during their life until they are dead).
So, you can’t delay to help those who need when you are able to do so. And, if you respect your father, please respect his faith. Please, be careful with what you say! Poor Barack Husein Obama senior without your good deeds and good prayers while he is in “Barzakh world.” He would be in tears when his son thoughts full of prejudice for Islam, and his son did nothing for what had happened in Palestine & Afghanistan.
Last but not least, we can still see how far Obama can be the same guy who said “Yes, we can!” Can he be the outstanding president, a president who did not follow the flow, but a president – with his multi-cultural background – should stand for them in and outside his country, being fair and speak the truth? I know, he is a great person, for he would do a very very very hard work, harder and tougher than my job as a teacher. So, being positive minded, although it seems so impossible, I would like to pray to God give him a bright, pure and true “Enlightenment” so that he would not stop violence to this earth and its belongings. Amin.
Mr. Obama,
Master Cheng Yen said that there is nothing impossible to do in this world, but what makes us anxious is that there is no will to do it. As a Christian, you believe in Jesus, but most Jews at his time did not believe in Jesus and they even want to kill him. If Jews now believe in Jesus, they should become a Christian. Muslims give appreciation to Jesus and Mary as same as Muhammad, and you can see it in Qur’an. Muslims praised them along with Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Johannes, Zachariah, Isaac, Ishmael, Noah, David, Solomon, Aaron, Joseph, and many many more.
If you want to help your own people, help others and don’t support any invasion, colonialism, genocide, and war by anyone, any nation, any means and any reason. If you say you can, do it right now! Then, I believe that USA will achieve its glorious era again when YOU all can.
(Chen Chen, 21-1-09)
*Husein the Savior by
