SPECIAL ISSUE

November 19, 1994: Those knights in shining armor — A lesson to the community

Dear Readers:
The last lingering hope for having our own Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives was struck down when Peter Mathews, Democratic Party candidate from the 38th District, lost in the Congressional elections on Tuesday, November 8. Earlier this year, the campaigns of Ram Uppluri and Neil Dhillon floundered and met with similar fates.
Though all our Congressional hopefuls lost either in the primaries or on November 8 ballot, we must admire their courage, tenacity and guts. They have opened the door for the Indian community to come out of their closet and involve themselves in mainstream American politics.
In retrospect, the crucial questions that spring to mind are: Was it just the Republican wave sweeping the nation that these candidates fell victim to or was it on account of poor campaign strategy? Did we support them adequately, both financially and morally, as a community or was our ethnicity still a shadow that weighs us down and hinders our bid for higher echelons of political office. Whatever the reason, we must take a serious note of this debacle. The sun has not set, it has only hidden itself behind the clouds.
A major problem these enterprising candidates faced during their campaign, was the lack of financial clout from our community. As a result, their campaign strategy was ineffective and the local participation insufficient. The volunteer force had not been marshaled in full strength, and their publicity awareness lacked punch. A lot of effort and enthusiasm seems to have fallen was short of the mark.
We called about a hundred people in our community to elicit their opinion in this regards. Some said it was a good try and a worthy fight; others opined that the time was just not right. Few even foresaw doom for the candidates right from the beginning and gloated on how right they were all along. None of these answers were either positive or serious.
Let us face the issue. It is time that we come out from this kind of negativism and start thinking positive. It is time we get rid of this inferiority complex. We must learn from this election. If Hispanic can have their own representatives, why not the Indian community?
We have over a million Asian Indians living in this country. Over 75 per cent of them live a relatively decent life. If each individual contributes an average of $10 per year to the political process, we would be able to fill the campaign chest to the tune of ten million dollars every year. Ten million dollars is more than enough to support a couple of honest, dedicated candidates and ensure their chances.
Our logic is simple. If the candidate is financially not strapped by the lack of campaign funds, he can devote his complete attention to the voters in his constituency. They can establish their credentials, prove their professional experience in government and establish a rapport with the people. .Finally, if we stand together and support our candidates, yes, we can make this dream of our own Congressmen in the House come true!
The main stumbling block to this dream is the absence of charismatic, selfless individuals who can generate a nationwide political momentum in our community. The present national leadership is not worth a penny. To the point of repetition, we voice the urgent need for non-controversial, egoless and selfless group of individuals to lead our community for its betterment and India as well.
Luckily we do have concerned Indians like Dr. Bharat Barai, Niranjan Shah, Dr. Virendra Bisla, Dr. Dhiraj Shah and many more, but are these concerned Indians willing to come forward and take the lead?
Well, we would rather leave this million dollar question to our community!

Sincerely,

Prashant Shah
Editor & Publisher