Phnom Penh

Dear Editor,

It's interesting to read about the different schools of thought regarding the future president of the United States of America in Kay Kimsong's story, "McCain comes out on top in Cambodia" (Monday, November 3).

Cambodians will support any US president who can help us build our democracy and free economy.

However, like many other Cambodians, I would prefer Senator Barack Obama to Senator John McCain because of his own history and the history of Cambodia.

As a nation ravaged by decades of civil war and on the brink of another cross-border war, we would support Senator Barack Obama for his less war-oriented policies. With his anti-war stance in Iraq and elsewhere, we hope Senator Obama will help Cambodia avoid the possible war with Thailand.

In addition, Senator Obama will be the first black US president if he is elected. As a black man whose grandparents experienced suffering and injustice under discriminatory US policies in the past, Senator Obama would know well the suffering of other peoples in the world who are deprived of justice and dignity.

Senator Obama would cherish in mind the words of the late black US civil rights leader Martin Luther King, who said: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere".

Therefore, we believe that Senator Obama would not want injustice to happen to peoples in other nations.

Last but not least, we would support the younger Senator Obama as the next president of the United States as he will set the precedent for other nations to give opportunities to young people to become leaders and lead their nations with  fresh talent and innovations.