AAHOA

Hitesh Bhakta, hotelier and former president, Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA)

‘I see continuation in strong U.S.-India relations’ Hitesh Bhakta I see Bobby’s victory as coming of age of Indian-American community in our effort to define our selves for the past couple dozen years. He represents hopes and dreams as well as our yearning to be accepted by mainstream America. I see him in terms of a set of core values that the community represents –– strong entrepreneurial and professional skills –– which would now be articulated. If you drill a layer deeper you will discover that even among politicians like Jindal we are essentially strong professionals. We have a set of core values that make us what we are. The mainstream America will come to realize that there is this subset of people who make enormous contribution to the country. India and the United States have strong common interests in the areas of business and security. I see a continuation in strong U.S.-India relations along these. I do not expect any major change, if anything only strengthening of relations. It is true that the country is polarized. While that may take time to change I hope we can create enough sense of security for people to pursue normal life. President Bush is perceived to be, an I say perceived deliberately, to a strong candidate on security. Hopefully this perception will help our industry in particular in terms of stability. Our industry suffered a lot in the aftermath of 9/11. It is important that the political leadership ensures stability. We hope occupancy rates go up.

AAPI

Dr. Jagan Ailinani, President, AAPI, Independent inclined toward Republican Party

‘Bush is especially good for medical community’ Dr. Jagan Ailinani The rise of Bobby Jindal is one of the best things to happen to the Indian American community. His success will encourage other young Indian Americans to get involved in public life. His presence in Congress is bound to effectively represent the community’s interests. I see a very bright future for him ahead. There are so many opportunities for him. Who knows he would be a vice presidential candidate some day, perhaps even secretary of health. We are very happy at President Bush’s re-election. He is a good president and a proven leader. He is especially good for the medical community. He supports tort reform against frivolous lawsuits at the federal level. Now that the Republicans have a majority in the Senate and Majority Leader Bill Frist himself being a physician we are hoping that reforms would go through. The issue affects everyone, physicians as well as patients. As he has said President Bush does not just represent the Republican party but the whole of America. To that extent he would try to unite a divided country. What is remarkable about this country is that once the election is over people work together. I believe the president is also very good for the Indian-American community as well as U.S.-India relations. You might remember that when he first began campaigning he did not know even know the name of India’s prime minister. But he has worked very hard since then and become informed about India as well as South Asia. I am quite optimistic that he would visit India in his second term.

Silicon Valley

Kailash Joshi, co-chairman and co-founder of TiE and co-president of India Community Center, Democrat

‘As Democrat my reaction is of disappointment, amazement’ Dr. Jagan Ailinani I have been a strong supporter of Senator John Kerry. My friends and I have organized many events for him here in Silicon Valley. As a good friend of his and as a Democrat my reaction is a mixture of disappointment and amazement. I would not have expected this outcome. Fear is a fundamental reason why President Bush got elected. I see a combination of people’s insecurity and religious extremism, as manifest in the debate of stem cell research, abortion rights and gay marriages, and the armies of churches helping out that delivered the verdict to Bush. What American voters have said is that physical threat and religion matter to them more them economic interest, stability, image in the world and so on. Lately many Indian Americans have come to believe that there is an alignment of their interests, at least economic interests with the Republican philosophy. My personal estimate, which is not supported by facts, is that the Indian-American community is two-third Democratic and one-third Republican. Bobby Jindal is a dynamic young man who seems to have a genius kind of brain. He also has the ability to sell himself and fit within the religious affiliations of Louisiana. It is a matter of pride for the community. He is a role model for other young Indian Americans. However one Congressman does not a strong voice make. Going by some other victories of Indian-American candidates I think we have gotten our teeth into mainstream America. We know how to walk the precincts, knock at the door and ask for the right things. This is a major first step. In any event what does the Indian-American community really require? We have already set spectacular benchmarks in whichever professions we have chosen. We do not have special interests. We are not lobbying for anything other than a just and fair America. It is time for us to give back to the country. On the question of outsourcing I have very different views. We have trained the electrons to move faster around the globe and carry jobs and services and money with them. They don’t need any passports. National borders have become passe in the knowledge world. I find it intellectually strange to talk about life in old terms.

Raj Singh, leading Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Democrat

‘As Democrat I am obviously unhappy about verdict’ Dr. Jagan Ailinani As a Democrat I am obviously unhappy about the verdict. People, who now say Sen. John Kerry ran a bad campaign, forget that he was the one who focused throughout on issues of substance be it the Iraq disaster, health care, education, or Social security. George Bush, on the other hand, offered simplistic and naive explanations about all his actions. It is obvious to me that political and electoral America means middle traditional conservative America. Some of us may not like it but that is the reality and one has to work within it. I found it very odd though the average Republican voter seriously believes that Republicans are the custodians of morality. Does that mean the rest have no sense of morality? From the standpoint of Indian Americans, a large number of whom I believe traditionally support the Democratic Party, the triumph of Bobby Jindal in Louisiana is an exceptional achievement. Even though I do not support Jindal’s Republican party, I see his rise as the first step toward Indian Americans entering political mainstream in the U.S. Considering that he is only the second Indian American to enter U.S. Congress, the first being Dilip Singh Saund in 1956, this election must be celebrated in a non-partisan fashion. On the question of what the victory means for the IT industry, I think IT industry being innovation based has never really been concerned about the politics of the day. In terms of the outsourcing debate the Bush victory augurs well because of his strong support for it. To that extent Indian business processing companies have nothing to worry about. Even in terms of U.S.-India relations, which were already on the upswing, the second Bush term is expected to bolster them further. My concern as a Democrat is larger and long-term about the direction America has taken under Bush. Do we want to continue in that direction?