It was an election half a world away but it may very well have huge implications for all of us here in India.
The Democratic Party swept aside Donald Trump’s Republicans in a variety of races all across the USA, which should signal a big change in the remaining two years of this President while also showing us, once again, that the right-wing populists can be defeated at the ballot box.
This past week has seen Indian stock markets soar in value, rising by nearly 8 percent in the last few days. This is, partly, down to the fall in global crude oil prices, which has improved economic sentiment. And the fall in fuel prices has a lot to do with the US midterm election results as the Democratic Party is expected to be less in favour of Trump’s war on Iran.
The American system is so different to our own that it is difficult to make like for like comparisons.
Over there they have a very strong President, a strong upper house (Senate) and lower house (House of Representatives). Their frankly bizarre system sees the latter face a general election every 2 years, the President every 4 years and the Senate every 6 years.
So this year the President was not on the ballot, all of the members of the lower house were and so were around one-third of the senators. Added to this were local state and city races for every position imaginable from Governor on down. And yet, still, only around 50 percent of eligible voters turned out.
There was one race that stood out above all the others – that to be one of Michigan’s senators (every state no matter how big or small gets two each). Because Abdul El-Sayed was the focus of vitriolic Islamophobic attacks by the Republican Party. It was a despicable attempt by a party that had nothing positive to hold out to the American voters to play on their fears. Alhamdulillah, it did not work.
Islamophobia is a blunt weapon used not just in America but also Europe, Israel and India too. Hopefully this result sends a message to all bigots out there – playing on people’s fears can work sometimes but there are limits. When voters are feeling the pinch on their pocket from rising prices, when they cannot afford healthcare, when they see the government ease tax laws on the super rich and do nothing for the less well-off, stirring up hatred will not get you far. It is the message of hope that was encapsulated by El-Sayed that won through in the end. Politicians everywhere take note.
