EXPLORING KUALA LUMPUR
By Peter James Pen
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The hour-long car ride from the airport to Kuala Lumpur immediately revealed one thing: Malaysia's superior infrastructure.
It's a stark contrast that made me feel both angry and deeply sad, thinking about the wasted potential back home. What's worse is that most of the ones who did it were Filipino engineers who helped build KL infrastructure.
Mahathir is next to Lee Kuan Yew.
Democracy only works when a country is progressive and when its citizens are intellectually mature. Otherwise, democracy becomes the way to corruption.
As I explored Kuala Lumpur, I was struck by how the city constantly showcased its national pride. The Malaysian flag was everywhere—on commercial buildings, businesses, and streetlights. This wasn't for a special holiday; it was a permanent, deliberate effort to instill a deep love for the country from an early age, a lesson taught as a core part of their educational curriculum. It made me keenly aware of what seems to be missing in the Philippines.
This reality is especially difficult when you consider that foreign governments, like Australia and the EU, sponsor 200 young Filipino scholars each year to earn advanced degrees in urban planning and engineering. They do this so these scholars can return and help build our country's infrastructure. It's a painful irony that while others are investing in our future, our focus at home is often on personal gain, greed, and power rather than on the collective good of the nation.
Instead of funneling money into programs with a high potential for corruption, such as the free breakfast initiatives from Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Sen. Bam Aquino, we should be investing in a better and more progressive educational system. Most importantly, we must teach our young students patriotism.
The Philippines needs more than just a reform; it needs a systemic reset. This transformation must begin with education. Investing in our youth, teach the youth to be patriotic, love their country, and take pride in their nation, is the only way to truly build hope for our nation's future. The progress won't be instant, and it won't be seen by our children, but by the generations to come. This is the long-term vision that will define the Philippines' future.
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The next leader should be like Lee Kuan Yew. I don't see any Filipino leaders who have the same similarity in political will or an iron fist. Perhaps there will be one in the next two decades.
