<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Lessons from Obama on race, S'pore and meritocracy
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->SO THE time has come when a black man has been empowered to rule the world's most powerful country as the front-page report trumpeted on Thursday, 'Obama's day''. It is a monumentally important occasion because it is symbolic of what this black man represents in society today, and that is - possibility.
America has always been known as a 'land of opportunity'. However, everyone knows race has and always will be a factor in how people view one another.
Like it or not, the first thing you see when someone stands in front of you is his physical appearance. And that, in turn, is predominantly a question of his race.
A person's race elicits certain stereotypes, not all of them positive.
What an elected black American president like Mr Barack Obama represents contradicts this. What he represents is a country which is truly a land of possibilities. It represents what a man (or woman) can achieve if he puts his heart and soul into it. What this man represents is an equal opportunity for all.
Every country should take this spirit as an example to follow.
No one should be treated unfairly simply because he is male or female, black or white, Chinese or Malay. Everyone should be treated fairly, simply because it is the right thing to do.
The Singapore Government has adopted meritocracy to demonstrate a similarly egalitarian intent. But, whether Singaporeans have or not is another thing. Singaporeans should take this opportunity to reflect on society today. Do we judge people because of their race, appearance or religion? If we do, perhaps it is time we did something about it.
Shaun Lim
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->SO THE time has come when a black man has been empowered to rule the world's most powerful country as the front-page report trumpeted on Thursday, 'Obama's day''. It is a monumentally important occasion because it is symbolic of what this black man represents in society today, and that is - possibility.
America has always been known as a 'land of opportunity'. However, everyone knows race has and always will be a factor in how people view one another.
Like it or not, the first thing you see when someone stands in front of you is his physical appearance. And that, in turn, is predominantly a question of his race.
A person's race elicits certain stereotypes, not all of them positive.
What an elected black American president like Mr Barack Obama represents contradicts this. What he represents is a country which is truly a land of possibilities. It represents what a man (or woman) can achieve if he puts his heart and soul into it. What this man represents is an equal opportunity for all.
Every country should take this spirit as an example to follow.
No one should be treated unfairly simply because he is male or female, black or white, Chinese or Malay. Everyone should be treated fairly, simply because it is the right thing to do.
The Singapore Government has adopted meritocracy to demonstrate a similarly egalitarian intent. But, whether Singaporeans have or not is another thing. Singaporeans should take this opportunity to reflect on society today. Do we judge people because of their race, appearance or religion? If we do, perhaps it is time we did something about it.
Shaun Lim
