Peru’s Keiko Spoke of the Future; Now It’s Colombia’s Turn
Over the years, I have listened to the inaugural addresses of presidents across many Latin American countries. Many of those speeches rehashed independence and revolution, colonial rule, and the failures of previous governments. They promised national unity and a new era, but not a few of them went no further than reviving old ideologies and conflicts. Speeches that specifically laid out what to resolve first and where to lead the nation were rare.
The inaugural address of Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori on July 28 was different. Assessments of the Fujimori family and of Peru’s modern history may vary. But this speech was noteworthy in that it focused on present problems and future tasks rather than on political rhetoric of the past.
Keiko diagnosed the core problems as the absence of a national strategy, corruption and administrative inefficiency, insecurity, social inequality, and weak public services and lack of infrastructure. She then presented as major state goals the response to El Niño, strengthening security, social protection, expanding infrastructure, administrative reform and digital government, fiscal soundness, the rule of law, and external cooperation. What was impressive was that she did not stop at declarations but presented goals, projects, and responsibilities, and stated that she herself would directly monitor the implementation process.
In this execution-centered approach, I was also partly reminded of the political style of her father, Alberto Fujimori. This means not his governance as a whole, but that the way of concretizing problems, directions for solutions, and responsibilities resembled his.
In particular, the completion of Lima Metro Line 2 and the pursuit of Lines 3, 4, 5, and 6, urban railways in Arequipa, Piura, and Trujillo, and the concepts for the Lima–Ica and Lima–Barranca railways are matters worth watching. Railways are not simply a means of transportation. They are national integration infrastructure that lowers logistics costs, connects the capital and the provinces, and reduces economic disparities between regions.
Of course, Peru must also prepare for the possibility of large-scale El Niño damage. If the damage grows, the funding and sequencing of railway and road projects will inevitably be adjusted. Nevertheless, presenting the expansion of urban transportation and the railway network as a national priority carries meaning. Korea, too, needs to closely examine Peru’s policy direction in the areas of railway rolling stock, signaling and communications, traffic control, smart cities, and disaster-response infrastructure.
Now the issue is execution. Reforming security, illegal mining, and corruption rooted in state institutions requires legal revisions and securing budgets, but the parliamentary conditions for the new government are not favorable. It is significant that Keiko asked the opposition to “think about the next generation, not the next election,” and asked local governments to work as one team beyond ideology. Success or failure depends on the political skill of compromising while upholding principles, and pursuing reform without excluding opposing forces.
Listening to Keiko’s speech, I thought of Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, who will soon be inaugurated. Rather than defining him with the single word “far-right,” there is a need to watch what direction of national governance he presents. His conservative leanings and his emphasis on strengthening security are clear, but what is more important is how he diagnoses Colombia’s reality and where he intends to lead it.
Colombia’s problems, too, are complex. Armed groups and drug organizations, illegal mining and the criminal economy, rural poverty, regional disparities, a fragile judicial system, and limited state control are intertwined with one another. The idea of holding the inauguration in the provinces and carrying out governance from major cities may carry symbolic significance. But what matters is whether administration and justice, education and health, jobs and infrastructure actually reach local residents.
Abelardo’s strong language and gestures were likely effective during the election. But now he must represent even the citizens who did not vote for him. I hope he will offer language of unity and responsibility that goes beyond campaigning.
In his inaugural address, I want to hear how he diagnoses Colombia’s problems, and what he will tackle first and in what manner. How he will connect restoring security to the judicial system and local administration, education and health, rural development and jobs policy is also an important point to watch.
In particular, I hope for a concrete direction on infrastructure development. In what order will he expand railways, roads, and urban transport networks to raise inter-regional connectivity, and how will he connect investment centered on large cities to provincial growth? In the railway sector, along with plans for new projects, I hope to hear a problem awareness that the operation of the PPP (public-private partnership) system, excessive participation standards, and the complex implementation structure divided among various agencies need to be examined.
The criteria for selecting cooperation partners also matter. Until now, Chinese companies have expanded their influence in the Latin American infrastructure market by leading with price competitiveness and financing capabilities. But there are limits to a selection method centered on the lowest price. One must consider not only construction costs but also participation by local firms, workforce training, transfer of operation and maintenance technology, and the ripple effects on industry.
Abelardo has said he will place importance on relations with the United States, while China is active in Latin American infrastructure projects based on its Belt and Road strategy. Rather than excluding either side, it draws attention what criteria he will use to evaluate partners that benefit Colombia’s industrial ecosystem and are favorable to technology transfer and talent cultivation. This carries great implications in that it could also become a new opportunity for Korean companies.
A good inaugural address does not automatically create a good government. But it shows how a leader understands the nation’s reality and what future he or she presents. Keiko spoke of present problems and future tasks rather than the political rhetoric of the past. Now is the time to watch, in Peru, whether that promise leads to results, and in Colombia, what future Abelardo speaks of.
