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President-elect Barack Obama carries his bag as he arrives for a meeting in Chicago, Illinois, last Wednesday, a day after his historic election to the presidency of the United States of America. - AP

The Editor, Sir:

Like so many persons worldwide, I celebrate the election of Barack Obama as the next president of the United States of America. I am not surprised though, more relieved, since we as Jamaicans have been challenging stereo-types over the last 46 years of our recent history. The time has truly come for such a thing - but I do not wish for our Jamaicans to miss the point that we are far ahead of even the great United States in electing persons to power regardless of race or gender.

To paraphrase what one of your columnists said at a recent forum, it would be surprising if throughout its history America did not have a president of colour.

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Our seventh prime minister was a woman; we have long had persons of strong, obvious African descent in powerful positions such as our first governor general in Sir Clifford Campbell in 1962, just a year after Barack's birth - in the 1960s look at the racial strife America was going through. We produced Marcus Garvey who has been a beacon of light to many in the world, especially the US in the early 20th century; and notice that CNN played Marley's Get Up, Stand Up during their coverage on US election day. Many of our CEOs are female power brokers. Who started the remarkable Paymaster service?

The world in recent years has seen Nelson Mandela become South Africa's president; Nobel Peace Prize recipient Kofi Annan, a Ghanaian, earned the admiration of the world as the secretary general of the United Nations for 10 years, and we have seen in the Muslim world Benazir Bhutto being elected twice as the first and only female prime minister of Pakistan. She was only 40 years old when she first assumed the office. Bob Marley sang, "None ah dem can stop de time!" (Redemption Song).

When I see Barack, I am reminded of another of Jamaica's venerable sons, Michael Manley. I believe he and Barack would have made marvellous allies, both fine orators and intellectuals, having a keen quality of social consciousness.

I am, etc.,

TOTLYN OLIVER

tao4now2003@gmail.com