The Obama versus Clinton race

Photographs and interviews by Zoisa Fraser and Sarah Bharrat

What do you think about the Barack Obama/Hilary Clinton US presidential candidate race? We asked several persons in the street this question and these were the responses.
Hilrod Thomas, businessman
`I think Obama has a fair chance of winning because he has everything in his favour especially the youths which is the biggest factor regardless of race. I think that Clinton is an embarrassment to the American people because her husband has already spoilt the White House. Due to this she should stay out. I believe that Obama has an excellent chance of winning, if not I would prefer McCain. I don’t think that the outcome of the presidential campaign would affect us here in Guyana. I think that Obama would make the people who were implicated in the Cubana air disaster go to trial if he wins this election. That is just the type of person I see him as and I have that much confidence in him. I follow his speeches so I am confident that with regards to the air disaster, justice will be served. Every day I would follow the race on television. I am not behind him because of his race but because he is bringing a whole new revolution to the world order’.

Pooran Sanchar, general contractor
`Obama will win. Like Guyana, the US has people who are fed up when it comes to politicians and they are looking for change. They will go out of their way to get what they want. I think that so far Obama has put forward some good ideas that have not been attempted before and people like that. When it comes to Clinton people are looking at the situation her husband was involved in while he was president. I think that they fear that the Clintons were already in power and nothing much was done for them. Obama is being supported by 300,000 plus Guyanese who reside in New York and there are also a lot of illegal immigrants, who he will stand up for, that are behind him. The Clinton administration has already used tactics to try and undermine his character. He is of a mixed race and people are looking at that. I think that race in something that Clinton will try to use but so far the results are going against that. I follow the race almost every day’.