Dear Editor,
The Government recognises that transformative development is an integral part of the community development process. It essentially involves a conscious and determined shift to accelerate development.
The agricultural sector needs improved skills and appropriate technology, particularly to raise productivity and establish efficient mechanisms concerning local food production. Despite some progress in industrial development, the manufacturing sector has not yet developed strong linkages with the rest of the economy, local entrepreneurship is not broadly based, and the export capacity of the sector is still rudimentary. The productive sectors, together, are not yet in a position to provide sufficient employment opportunities for the growing labour force.
The high rates of open unemployment and underemployment persists, especially among school-leavers who are frustrated in the search for jobs and recent migrants to the urban areas. Such economic conditions breed chronic discontent, crime, violence and political extremism, putting at risk national cohesion and the democratic process itself.
Government should nonetheless recognise that meaningful community transformative development is painful and can be difficult to manage as it may reduce the standard of living of the majority of social groups. Sensitive to the needs of the poor, they should cushion the adverse impact of the community transformative development process on the most deserving groups in our society.
The Government recognises a very important role for the private sector within a framework of a socially just market economy. They call upon all sectors of our populations to view the present economic difficulties as requiring the fullest possible exercise of local initiatives, thereby, bringing into play all energies and skills, particularly of the young who are more literate than hitherto, and most adaptable. The Government must be determined to actively encourage the incipient entrepreneurship which exists in both the rural and urban sectors.
The Government should formulate, at the national level, a comprehensive programme of support, and provide incentives for the emergence of broadly-based local entrepreneurship. Such programmes will include management training, assistance with identifying sources of technology and venture capital, as access to the range of commercial and financial services essential for business development, particularly in the export field. In the specific case of the rural sector, the Government could commit themselves to further action for the better utilisation of agricultural land and to modernise the sector to develop a broad-based agro-industrial environment.
Such investment and trade could increase the resilience of our economy and substantially strengthen our capacity for sustained growth, development and community transformation.
Overseas partners, must contribute to the aggregate of investment and production decisions that will accelerate growth and development. However, the Government must prepare to do more particularly where new technology and new markets are involved and where local capacities have not sufficiently emerged.
An unrelenting drive will have to be made to enforce operating efficiency in all public sector activity. Consequently, there must be an upgrading of the management and functioning of existing state agencies and public utilities, including giving them the autonomy and responsibility to operate on strictly commercial lines within broad policy guidelines laid down by the government. Also, there must be continual reviews of the possibilities of divestment of commercial enterprises to the local private sector and to joint venture with foreign partners where they are willing and capable of bringing to the enterprise new technologies and market penetration initiative.
Yours faithfully,
Sherwood Clarke
General President
Clerical and Commercial
Workers’ Union
