IT WAS INTERESTING to read the comments of Dr Patrick Hanohan, former governor of Ireland’s Central Bank, about the state of affairs in Barbados and what our approach should be.
Government MPs will probably latch on to the fact that he said we should be solving our own problems since we know more about our country than any outsider. They would be pounding their chests and saying “we told you so”.
No doubt they’ll conveniently downplay his other comments, like: “There are choices to be made and choices to be made by Barbadians . . . political decisions made by the people of Barbados – by the Government in consultation with the people of Barbados . . . . Whatever package agreed on must make sense and must have the public’s support”.
He warned it was important for Government to maintain free and open communication with Barbadians. Therein lies the problem. I’ve always said that this administration reached a level of arrogance in its first few years in office that took the last administration 15 years to achieve. They don’t want to hear anything from anyone.
If it’s accepted that the private sector drives the economy, it’s obvious there should be constant discussion between Government and the private sector. It’s only now when the horse has long bolted from the stable that Government appears to be reaching out to the private sector.
And we’ll only be convinced of the genuineness of this plea for help when we actually see the implementation of suggestions by these individuals/organisations.
It’s ironic that it’s another Irishman, Dr Eddie Molloy, who once noted that “implementation deficit disorder” was endemic in our established institutions, and that more reports and conference speeches will not unblock the logjam.
We’ve heard of the need to diversify our economy for sometime now. I, among others, have said for years that we’re relying too heavily on tourism, an industry which is known to be fickle. I’ve also preached the importance of food security and sovereignty, but my words often fall on deaf ears. As they say, “a prophet is not without honour, except in his own country”.
I said in the Senate some years ago that perhaps we need starvation to convince us of the need for food security. At that time I was asked to withdraw the statement, which I repeated rather than withdrew, and, as I recall, one senator walked out of the chamber. Now that Jay Taparia, foreign global money manager, public speaker and senior economic adviser, is saying the same thing, maybe the powers that be will listen.
Taparia reportedly said that undiversified economies which rely heavily on the United States and Europe for economic growth will be particularly vulnerable. He suggested that Barbados could produce its own food rather than importing it. Perhaps with our foreign reserves in such bad shape, we may have no choice but to put more emphasis on agriculture and food production in particular.
In a letter to the NATION, Michael Ray also supports this position and emphasises the recent European Union plan to liberalise the market for beet sugar as well as the bans on imports of meats because of threat of disease. Add to this the ever increasing recalls of food products like corned beef because of possible health issues.
We must link our sectors and take them forward together. A few years ago I suggested that Government’s assistance to the tourism industry should be tied to that industry’s use of local products.
I was sure I heard a statement made in a later Budget speech which talked of the tourism industry having to buy at least a certain percentage of its food from local farmers to qualify for incentives.
However, when I referred to the written document, the statement was nowhere to be seen. Of course, Government institutions are supposed to buy a percentage of locally produced food products but that seldom seems to be enforced.
And within agriculture, we must have further diversification, with more emphasis on value added products through increased agro-processing. We must also produce more of the inputs for our livestock feed industry, stop trying to sell bulk sugar, expand our niche markets for branded sugar and produce more of our own molasses for our rum.
But will we continue talking, or will we realise that the time for action is now?
• Dr Frances Chandler is a former Independent senator. Email: fchandler@caribsurf.com