I realise that it has been the fashion in recent years to condemn and vilify the United States of America for one thing or another, be it for initiating the unnecessary and un-winnable war in Iraq or destabilising the international financial markets with its disastrous subprime lending practices or being an over-permissive society in sexual behaviours and attitudes. The list is endless.

At the same time, it has become unfashionable to mention the good things that have been going on in the US in recent years, things that impact the everyday life of every American citizen living there.

Today for instance, every citizen, be they white or coloured or a descendant of a slave or a sixth-generation white American or a new arrival, is equal and as such, has every right to be treated fairly by all concerned.

It is worth noting that in the week that Malaysia celebrated its 51st Independence Day, history was created in the US when Barack Obama, the son of a black man from Kenya was formally nominated as the Democrat candidate for the US presidency at the National Democratic Convention in Denver.

In doing so, the predominantly white Americans have shown the world that they have proudly triumphed over the racists, bigots, inferior and mean-spirited people in their midst and are now superior human beings.

The America of today is indeed light years away from the America of say 1957. It seems hard to believe but as recent as 1963 when the incomparable civil rights campaigner, Martin Luther King made his immortal "I have a dream" speech, black Americans were still regarded and treated as a despised and inferior lot in a Ketuanan Orang Putih America.

How times have changed for the better since then. And it could get even better come the first week of November 2008 when a black president takes over and in so doing, becomes arguably the most powerful person in the world.

Whilst the Americans have every right to celebrate their undeniably stupendous success in race relations in recent years, every fair-minded Malaysian must shamefully agree that although equality was the given right of every Malaysian on Merdeka Day in 1957, unconscionable political intrigues and machinations by those in power have over the past 51 years, resulted in the complete triumph of the racists, bigots and mean-spirited people in the community.

Sadly today, Malaysia is a divided nation with one group claiming to be more equal than the others, thanks to those myopic, racist, corrupt politicians who have been in power for far too long.

As good race relations is the most essential ingredient in every society, it is to be hoped that Malaysians of all racial groups realise that ultimately they have to swim or sink together and therefore have to be more demanding and selective in their choice of political candidates for the future.