The recent statement issued by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) on the subject of the political impasse confronting the country and the attendant counterproductive outcomes is significant insofar as, among other things, it reflects the assertion by at least a section of the business community of what it sees as both a right and a duty to comment publicly on an issue of national importance.
We believe, too, that critical to the Chamber’s decision to make public its views in this instance was what it regards as a nexus between the state of political affairs in the country at this time and the prospects for a wider environment in which business on the whole can thrive. Indeed it is difficult to fault what appears to be the Chamber’s logic that as a legitimate constituency it believes that it is fit and proper not only to express its views and sentiments in matters of national importance but also, in warranted circumstances, to articulate its views with regard to finding solutions to challenges.
The extant statement from the Chamber addresses—from its perspective—both the challenge and what it sees as a solution.
It is not the purpose of this comment to express any opinion whatsoever on what the Chamber has had to say in its statement.
However, we are definitely inclined to the view that as legitimate stakeholders in this country’s socio-economic process the views of the business community, whether these are purveyed through the GCCI or any other business support organization (BSI), are legitimate and ought to be taken seriously.
This is even more the case when those issues and the private sector’s attendant views have a direct bearing on the retention of an enabling environment in which business can thrive, the economy can grow and the standard of living can rise. Beyond that, we believe that the Chamber’s pronouncement amounts to the espousal of a tenet of democracy—freedom of expression—which we claim to hold dear.
