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OPINIONS
/ COLUMNS
(September
15 – September 21, 2008) Serious Business Jay S. Ramos True leader At
one time in the past this writer
presented a report about subject of slow rate of energy in pushing from below
economic growth and poor performance of attracting investors. Apparently, the impediments were due to perennial
corruption (no wonder our senators are at the highest peak of pointing one
another), political instability, bureaucratic inefficiency or red tape, a
fragile peace and order situation, inconsistency of or absence of political
will to implement government policies, and still a poor infrastructure. To re-echo
UN-ADB’s latest assessment on
Millenium Development Goals our
country has been falling off though the Philippine government has
countered that our country is on the right track. Further, the UN-ADB report
states that there is little or no
progress seen in key development
area. Well, I surmise that the only thing awing is that NEDA people
are good in presenting plans and programs for this matter and yet the results
are almost nil. Why trust the UN-ADB
repot, comfortably the UN Economic And Social Commission for Asia and Pacific
and the UN Development Programmed tracks progress towards achieving the
development goals relating to poverty, nutrition, education, gender equality,
infant immortality, maternal health, prevention of HIV and other
diseases, water access, sanitation and
environmental protection. The information
stares that we have little progress on rural water access and rural
sanitation. However, it reveals that
our country is said to be on the right track in attaining the 2015 goal of reducing by half
the size of the population living on
less than $1a day, increasing primary enrolment, reducing HIV prevalence
and improving urban sanitation. Moreover, it pointed
out that there is a need to boost primary education and basic health
services—two MDG areas where the Inconsistency of
government policy may in part be attributed to the lack of political will
exhibited by the nation’s top government officials. The current political instability certainly
detracts from the capability of the government to act efficiently. The uncertain political situation has
further discouraged businessman, foreign and local, from investing or
initiating new initiatives and ventures. The mood is
decidedly cautious—a wait-and-see attitude is the norm. If the mood spreads to the consumer market
with the resultant decrease in consumer spending then the economy will surely
slow down and plunge us into the depths of recession. In fairness, our
forever beloved president is trying to reach out and must act decisively to
resolve our political predicament.
However, will the price of cooperation erode the last vestiges of our
president’s independence and render her subservient to those who helped her
retain the seat of power? If so, then
the business sector, conversely the economy, and the people will suffer. Progress and
prosperity silences dissension, hunger and poverty foment discord. The surest way to boost the economy is
through the infusion of new capital, the influx of investment. Thus,
government policies should encourage this trend, not the other way
round. Our leaders have enunciated sound business principles. Therefore, GMA (being an economist) must
now (as in now) demonstrate the political will to enforce those
policies, even in defiance of patronage politics and vested interests. Our country’s future lies on the true
leadership of GMA. Ilocos Times copyright 2008 |
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