I HAVE A DREAM.

I Have A Dream.

It was a wonderful swearing–in ceremony of the 44th President of the USA, Mr. Barack Hussein Obama. Thanks to TV facility, I am happy that once again I got an opportunity to witness yet one more US president taking oath of his office. From the interest shown by the people from all around the globe, I can rightly say that Obama’s election to American presidency is loved by most of the people all around the world and not just only in the USA. Though he was elected to rule USA yet people around the globe considered him as dearest to them as well. No president in the history of USA received so much of sympathy, love and affection as Obama did. Not only he was loved but people all around the globe from different religions fervently prayed for his elevation to the presidency and for his success. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Jains and others without any hitch asked God for his success. And I am certain God will surely accept their prayers and make Obama the most successful president of USA not only to guide and rule USA but also to guide the world in the right direction.

“I have a dream” uttered the civil rightist icon Dr. Martin Luther King almost half a century back. Dream of what? Dream to see that blacks and whites integrating with one another, walking hand in hand together as one entity. When Dr. King uttered these words, Blacks in the USA were discriminated and denied so many rights they were entitled to as human beings and as children of the same God. It was not too long back that when a shadow of a Black person fell on the White American, the Black was castigated and punished. But what a dramatic turn the event has taken place when we saw with our own eyes how a Black person Barack Obama from the Black African descent with the help of God was elevated thru God’s mysterious hand to rule not only the Blacks but also the Whites of the USA!! Surely God’s hand has played a great role in Obama’s election because the Whites in the USA have disowned the commandment of God by practicing apartheid against His less previlleged children called Blacks.

It was so agonising to see the ferocity of colour bar practiced by the Whites against Blacks that even the House of God and Churches were not spared from performing apartheid. And precisely because of this Dr. Martin Luther King as Baptist Christian preacher in his home town at Montgomery while delivering his homily, told the discriminatory Whites that “If you cannot integrate with the masses (meaning Blacks) then you will never integrate with Christ because Christ is come from the masses”. Dr. King had a dream and his dream has come to reality. Barack Obama took lot of inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King and thru this inspiration he succeeded a lot. Let the heavenly God keep president Obama safe and sound to deliver the goods. Not only Americans but also people from all around the world pinning their high hopes on president Obama to do justice for those who were denied it and compassion to those who are the victims of inustice.

Following in the footsteps of his guru Dr. King, president Obama applied the system of reconciliation for his presidency by accommodating in his presidency the very adversaries of his. Till yesterday he was opposing Hillary Clinton but today he offered her the warm handshake of reconciliation and appointed her as his Secretary of State while for his main opponent the Republican presidential candidate John McCain he offered the embrace of honour. And so to innumerable opponents of his he gave them an embrace of friendship. Martin Luther King when found his supporters with sticks and other weapons challenging his opponents who came to destroy his house, asked his supporters to “down with their arms” and reconcile because quoting scripture he said “sword beget sword”. By following reconciliatory tone, I am sure with the help of God, Barrack Obama will surely attain success in his presidency, of course with the prayers and goodwill of the people from all around the world. At the moment, he is the darling of all classes of the populace.

Dream is something which everyone of us experiences and not Martin Luther King alone. I too in the autumn of my stay in Kuwait have a dream that we the expatriates mainly from the sub-continent one day will integrate with the locals as never before and move together hand in hand as one. This dream I had after 3 decades of my employment in Kuwait when still I did not find full fledged equality. Equality for what? Not to vote for the local election. Not to demand privileges over the locals. Equality to feel physically and psychologically equal with all others. Inspite of my long years of stay in Kuwait I still feel discriminated by the prevailing system and by many of the locals. If I go to any Government office for any official work, I feel I am discriminated. If I go for soccer match of Kuwaiti League, there too discrimination. If I am found wanting in Arabic speaking, I am discriminated. Even on the road while driving you see discrimination performed by those driving costly cars and also in so many other places where locals gather in big number. If I go to hospital inspite of my Health Insurance Card again I am discriminated because being a non-local I am denied of certain medicines and medical facilities. Discrimination in medical treatment is inhuman punishable by devine wrath. When I face such a situation, I feel grieved and sub-human as Dr. Martin Luther felt half a century back in USA. But he had a dream and his dream finally realized.

I too hope one day during my own life time my dream will come to reality when Kuwaitis and expatriates, their children and grand children will walk with our children and grand children hand in hand without any discrimination. First test of this dream I hope will take place in my Goa at Panaji the capital city of Goa where Kuwaitis came to Goa during the invasion time of Kuwait and participated in our rally and public meeting we Goans organized under my inititative to raise our voice against the invasion of Kuwait. During this rally, without any discrimination I witnessed how Kuwaitis embracing, hugging and holding the hands of Goans in a true brotherly manner. During that time it was out of sheer compulsion Kuwaitis embraced us but now I have a dream that one day Kuwaitis and we will have total brotherly integration not out of compulsion but thru spontaneity and that day is not very far. The prophecy of my dream will surely come to reality, Inshalla, God willing.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Safat, Kuwait.