"ssharma" wrote:
>Republic of India 2006AD
>
>80% or more are Hindus.
>70% or more use Hindi as First or second language.
>
>But President is -Mr.APJ Abdul Kalam (a Muslim -12% of India's
>population and speaks Tamil-
> spoken by 6%
>of India's population).
>
>Prime Minister-Mr.Mamohan singh (a Sikh-2%of India's population and
>speaks Punjapi,- >spoken by less than 4% of India's population)
Sikhs have a very disproportionate status in India.
It should be noted that Jews, a very small minority in
the western countries, have a disproportionate status.
Two Jews have been Prime Minister of France. An ethnic
Jew has been PM of Great Britain.
>
>What if the Western countries, who shout about Minority rights and
>freedom, have such a Phenomenon in their own nation?
India has more and larger ethnic/linguistic minorities
that any other nation that I know of. India is comparable
in size to Europe west of the former USSR. Given this
diversity, it is not surprising that India has on occasion
elevated members of these groups to high positions.
Also, there is great rivalry between the major ethnic
groups. At various times and places, similar rivalries
have led to the elevation of persons from minor ethnic
groups as a compromise. I believe this has happened in
Nigeria.
However, I note that the Presidency of India is a
primarily ceremonial office. It's a lot easier for
such an office to go to someone outside the actual
dominant groups than if it has real power.
>What if the President of USA is ,
>
>1.a Black,
>2.a Hispanic,
Until very recently, Hispanics were a very small
minority in the U.S.
>3.a Muslim,
Moslems are a very small minority in the U.S.,
and until recently were essentially not present.
>4.or a non-white...
While there has never been a non-white President, there
has been a (partially) non-white Vice President. Charles
Curtis, Vice-President under Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)
was part Kaw Indian, and spent part of his childhood on
the Kaw reservation in Kansas.
>non Christian.
The U.S. is 98% Christian.
As a rule, America tends to select its Presidents from the
subset of people who are least threatening or distasteful
to as many people as possible. British isles (and Dutch)
white Christians form that 'sweet spot'.
The first Presidential (or Vice Presidential) candidate
outside that box was Eisenhower (German-Swiss; 1952, 1956).
Goldwater (1964) was of German Jewish descent. Muskie (VP
1968) was Polish. Agnew (VP 1969-1974) was Greek. Mondale
(VP 1977-81, P candidate 1984) was Norwegian; his running
mate, Ferraro, was Italian. Dukakis (1988) was of course
Greek. Dukakis' running mate, Bentsen was Danish. Gore's
running mate in 2000, Joe Lieberman, is Jewish, of
quasi-Germanophone Polish Jewish descent. 2004 Democrat
John Kerry is actually of Austrian Jewish descent (his
grandfather changed the name from Kohn). One potential
candidate for 2008 is Giuliani, who is Italian.
So the 'sweet spot' is broadening.
>If such a thing happened anywhere in Western World , kindly ignore this
>'what-if'.
>
>Only time i have seen such a thing happened was the Presidency of
>Alberto fujimori in Peru. And a tamilian becoming president of a
>Chinese majority Singapore.
The present governor-general of Canada is of Haitian
descent. Her predecessor was Asian.
Eamon De Valera, Prime Minister of Ireland (1932-1948, 1951-1954,
1957-1959) was the son of a Spanish-Cuban sculptor living in New
York City (or so it was recorded - De Valera was almost certainly
illegitimate, and his supposed father could not be traced). His
Irish mother took him to Ireland at age two, and left him to be
raised by relatives.
--
| He had a shorter, more scraggly, and even less |
| flattering beard than Yassir Arafat, and Escalante |
| never conceived that such a thing was possible. |
| -- William Goldman, _Heat_ | |
