At the twilight of Dr.Mahathir’s 22-year reign, the longest serving leader in Southeast Asia, this 77-year-old Prime Minister, who stepped down from office end of October, is not showing signs of slowing down. In my one-week Malaysian trip, I had a glimpse of the PM at least twice. That’s a lot for a mere tourist like myself. During the Kuala Lumpur International Showjumping Competition, the world’s top 50 riders from Europe, the United States, Australia, New Zealand competed in a world-class showjumping event, the first Grand Prix in Asia, in Kuala Lumpur’s Mines Resort City.
Ivisited KL to witness the staging of the KL Showjumping Grand Prix. It was held in a fully air-conditioned, former gymnastics stadium (built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games) that seats 10,000 people, with a befitting world-class, air-conditioned stabling facility that housed over a hundred horses from overseas ensuring that they did not suffer from the Asian heat. It was surely a milestone for the region’s sporting scene, with horse-lover organizers Wan Zaleha Radzi and husband Peter Imran Winton displaying an event every inch worth its whopping euros 3 million euros (P192 million) budget over four days.
I was booked at the nearby Mines Resort City Hotel, incidentally the venue for the first Formula 1 Powerboat Grand Prix held that same week which was also graced by the Malaysian PM. Before leaving the hotel to watch the Showjumping Grand Prix on Sunday, I caught the start of the Powerboat races, where the PM was among the crowd, enjoying the breeze by the waters, while watching a high-energy race of amazing machines. The boats looked like Jaguars, Porsches and Ferraris. Although I was at a considerable distance from where the PM was seated, the view from my hotel balcony was enough for me to see that he was beaming like a proud father, watching his children enjoying a show he made possible.
Shortly after, I made my way to the horse show, something much more interesting for me. The traffic was quite heavy at the entrance of the stadium, as a big football match was ongoing next to where the showjumping tilt was about to begin. Like in most countries, football is the most popular sport in Malaysia, not equestrian. There may have been a 10,000 seating capacity at the showjumping venue, but the football game attracted twice as many people.
The audience from both venues could be heard cheering for their respective events as the stadiums were right next to each other. This only proves the Malaysians’ love of sports. How enviable. Malaysians have the privilege to enjoy sports. Even their PM, the country’s busiest and most powerful man, has time to grace these occasions. He takes pride that his country can host such international competitions, propelling the image of Malaysia to world-class status, welcoming the influx of participants, guests, and tourists alike to this booming Southeast Asian nation.
When Dr. Mahathir walked into the stadium, in the middle of the showjumping competition, everyone stood up to acknowledge him and proceeded to sing the Malaysian national anthem. With pride, I might add. Mahathir, after coming from the Powerboat races nearby, evidently changed into the official outfit (a traditional batik costume) of the showjumping event organizers before settling at the VIP section to watch the rest of the show. And what a show it was.
The audience was ecstatic, honored that they could stage a world-class event with their father-figure, the beloved Mahathir watching by the sidelines. Never mind that an Arab, Saudi Arabia’s Khaled Al Eid, 2000 Sydney Olympics’ bronze medalist, won the top prize and only one of the two Malaysians participating, Syed Omar Al Mohdzar, fared well in the Grand Prix.
I dream of a Philippines that could someday host not only a successful state visit by an American President, but a world-class sporting event as well, where we can boast true Filipino hospitality and showcase the beauty of our islands. With sports constituting a major part of my life, I have made it my advocacy. A country’s love for sports not only displays a people’s fun-loving and competitive nature, but also a nation’s progress. To use the words of philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Character is destiny," and sports builds character, inculcating what I call the 3Ds: discipline, dedication and determination. If we want to build a better nation, we must begin with molding stronger citizens – in mind, body and above all, character.