EDITORIAL – Consumerism can help economy

BARBADOS BOASTS OF ITS HIGH LITERACY, of its high standard of education, and that its shift and impetus are away from sugar to optimise a service industry, the way to success in a world of recession  and burdensome deficits.Up until recent years Barbados was known and admired for its ability to manage its economy, bereft of any raw materials and without external aid. Giving way to modern thinking that economic growth was inextricably linked to deficit financing, we have found ourselves subject to closer scrutiny by the rating agencies and in fact have suffered downgrade, albeit relatively modest.Grappling with the decline of sugar, we have hitched our star to making the country’s major industry, along with tourism, that of financial and other services. Of course, our success has made us subject to close scrutiny and made us to face possible blacklisting unless we prepared to cooperate with the regulations requiring disclosure of information relating to offshore businesses and investors.With grim days facing us, opportunity for economic growth dwindling day by day, we have come to recognition that service is the way forward. We introduced a slogan NISE and afforded Public Sector Reform higher visibility. Neither has truly taken root. The Auditor General, in his annual report, continues to report repeated deficiencies and breaches of previous years which continue to present themselves with disgusting regularity.Despite these findings, we hardly ever hear of any issues of accountability arising there from. Incidents of cash shortages have been noted with a deafening silence as the quid pro quo. Turning to service to consumers, little care is taken to listen to one’s enquiry or to offer alternative solutions to the issue at hand. How is it that business houses for many years now have been allowed to mislead buyers that a transformer is the answer to equipment /appliances manufactured at 60/cycles? The power supply in Barbados is pegged at 110 volts/50 cycles or 220 volts/50 cycles. Yet the majority of large appliances offered for sale are 110 or 220volts/60 cycles; with purchasers being advised to get a transformer, as necessary, at a price, of course, and the consolation that the only defect will be the clocks will not keep good time. Where is the FTC in all of this? Is it not charged with looking after the interests of consumers? With our power company providing 50 cycles why should 60 cycle appliances be allowed entry?This matter which at first blush seems simplistic is a lot more consequential. Such appliances are said to consume approximately 20 per cent more energy, operate at about a 20 per cent deficiency with a high possibility of a shortened life span. More so now in recessionary times and since higher energy costs have ruled the market, it certainly does not help our foreign reserves to entertain higher energy costs.The above are likely to contribute to a waste of foreign reserves at a time when conservation is the desired objective.