Obama and Jeremiah Wright....the way I see it

I've not been reading much into world news lately till my last copy of Time Magazine came. Inside was a piece on Obama..."Why Obama Has a Pastor Problem." As usual, the 'want to know' in me got the better of me...I started reading up more. There are many different opinions out there about his ties with Wright.

I do find it a little appalling that Wright states so many incendiary statements over the pulpit...I watched one over You Tube....I mean, to charge the government created AIDS and deliberately infecting the blacks. Don't the whites, Asians and every other race have their own AIDS story? Or are they just collateral damages? Conspiracies?? Your guess is as good as mine. What I believe is this...we have to be taught to hate and fear. Implying that over the pulpit does exactly that...

What I find disturbing is Obama neither spoke out or engaged his Pastor for his conduct. In fact he has been with him for 20 years. What about principles and conscience? What exactly are marks of a great leader? In Obama's recent speech he says his response isn't to walk out but to try understand what is fueling that sort of fire. How can he listen to such kind of rantings for such a long time unless it is something that goes down well with him? Or it just didn't matter to him. But he did this though, he distanced himself when he realised that his relationship with Wright was damaging his campaign.

In our local context we too have our teaching the masses to hate and fear...our brand of politics has been like this the last few decades. So much so that the line between right and wrong is so blur now. The keris wielding episode, the way the NEP was manipulated and so many more. They sow the seeds of fear, dissatisfaction and hatred. But it is heartening to see men and women of principles speaking out. To these people, I salute you. May you be the hope of the new Malaysia.