Obama’s words relevant to TT

THE EDITOR: Former US president Barack Obama on Wednesday night, in his Democratic National Convention endorsement speech of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the upcoming US presidential election, called on Americans to embrace their own responsibility as citizens, saying “no single American can fix this country alone, not even a president. Democracy was never meant to be transactional, you give me your vote, I make everything better. It requires an active and informed citizenry.”

Maybe it’s because we only recently concluded our own democratic exercise of choosing a government or maybe it was due to the expectant emotions of seeing a new Cabinet sworn in, especially given the new and youthful faces included.

Whatever the reason, those words definitely resonated with me as most relevant to our society. Though clearly intended for the US population, the message remains an apt one, transcending our borders.

In this respect, the message to each and every one of us is clear: while it’s our right to vote and select a government, it is also our responsibility as citizens to engage in the governance of the country (with great power comes great responsibility).

So now that the election is won, we must not simply turn our backs, expecting everything to be done. For democracy demands of us our continuous vigilance.

ANDRE PHILLIP

via e-mail