Biden’s win and the power of the people

The wait is finally over.

After four days of drama, during which the eyes of the world were transfixed upon the slow, meticulous process of counting the ballots in crucial US states, we finally know who will be the next president of America.

Joe Biden’s win is significant in many ways. He has garnered more votes than any other president-elect in the history of the US. In fact, despite the Covid-19 pandemic ravaging the country, this US election saw a record turnout. Many voters chose to cast their votes via mail.

Biden’s win also meant that the US will have its first female Vice President in Kamala Harris, notable also because of her mixed-race background. America, it seems, has reinforced itself as truly the land of opportunities, despite the systemic racism prevalent in the country.

Four years ago, when Donald Trump won the presidency, I was involved in several passionate informal debates with friends on what his tenure would look like. One of the discussions occurred after Trump took office, when one of his first actions was to impose what is termed as the "Muslim ban". 

Executive Order 13769 suspended the entry of visitors from several Muslim majority countries and was described by many human rights organisations as a human rights violation.

It was argued then that Trump was merely doing what he promised to do, and to have a politician fulfilling his pre-election promises was described as a "breath of fresh air".

I disagreed with this view. While we may argue about the nature of justice, we should have an inherent abhorrence to injustice. We should not whitewash or justify injustice by saying that a politician is merely fulfilling what he promised to do.

Indeed, the four years of Trump's presidency have not been the "breath of fresh air" that many claimed it would be. Instead, it was a continuous stream of toxic fumes that divided America and also the world. His reign empowered right-wing extremism, toxic masculinity and outright racism. It was divisive and it was destructive.

Trump was not even an honest president. Half-truths and outright lies became characteristic of his leadership. Yes, Trump was unlike any politician America has seen in its long history, but not in a way that was positive for American democracy.

As CNN commentator Van Jones said in his reaction to Biden’s win, being a good person matters. Telling the truth, matters. Moral leadership is important in any country as it speaks of the character of that country.

America, a deeply flawed, oftentimes hypocritical country, made a mistake four years ago. Biden’s win, for all intents and purposes, is a course correction.

But at what cost? Biden’s win was decisive, but come January 2021, he will become the president of a very much divided nation. His and Harris’ biggest task would be to somehow unite the US again as it deals with a devastating Covid-19 pandemic and the effects it has on the economy.

But for now, much of America celebrates. Much of the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. At least, the face of the American government will be like how it always was, warts and all.

For many Malaysians, Biden’s win harkens them back to May 9, 2018, when a 60-year-old government was toppled by the people. It was a bittersweet feeling; elation for Americans, but at the same time a reminder of the betrayal that robbed us of our elected government.

But we must never lose sight of the fact that Biden’s win is a victory for democracy. It is proof of the power of the vote. The people’s voice matters most. Suara rakyat, suara keramat, as we say here.

Only by exercising our right can we ensure that demagogues, kleptocrats and betrayers of a mandate will one day lose power.

Let us never forget that.

---

SYAHREDZAN JOHAN is a civil liberties lawyer and political secretary to Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang. - Mkini

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.