Hi Rene!
Thanks for your very correct observations. You have contributed in no small measure to the further clarification of the PDOIS position. I think it is vital to continue on this path because PDOIS is the most misrepresented of all the political parties in our country. Thanks once again. Have a good day.
Buharry.
----- Original Message -----
From: Rene Badjan <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2001 9:41 PM
Subject: Re: Response To Brother Buharry
> Buharry,
> Please allow me to make these observations. From the political literature
> I have read, to the speeches that I had listened to, I have never read or
> heard stipulated anywhere in a PDOIS's material, that they are communist,
> marxist or what have you. I strongly have the impression that they don't
> believed in dogma, as dogma is the believed in rigidity. Although they may me
> guided by some of the finest principles underlying these political
> ideologies. They believed in Socialist principles, notwithstanding the fact
> that this is measured to take into consideration our circumstances and
> realities. They will defend public enterprises and make them more profitable.
> They want to ensure that policy considerations, both national and
> international, are determined and guided by favourable public opinion, as
> evidence that power is being exercised from below. They are also cognizant of
> the fact that, development given our circumstances could both be undertaken
> by public and private stakeholders, and I believe, in so much as the interest
> of the nation is always paramount. Yes, public and private initiatives of the
> productive sectors would be encouraged to create jobs, and help the economy.
> This is outlined in their Agenda for Democracy and Development, and I quote:
> "Public and private initiatives will be relied on to engage in fishing,
> processing, construction and other services to generate employment, boost up
> trade and development."
>
> Besides all the governance issues of democracy, transparency and
> accountability, they want to manage an inexpensive, people centered and
> development oriented government. As such, I believe their overall development
> agenda is primised on these braoder perspectives. Given that our economy
> largely depends on agriculture for exports, how this production is organized,
> and how what is produced is distributed is fundamental to their economic
> policy. Thus they want to encourage farmers to form genuinine cooperatives to
> facilitate the mechanisms to store and market their produce. It is also
> important that agriculture is linked to industry. Thus the creation of public
> and private enetrprises to undertake light scale industrial activities to
> process some of these farming produce and create more jobs. This can expand
> the market base for these produce, for they can be converted from their raw
> state to their finished products. A lot of other secondary enterprises can
> emerged from this, ranging from marketing to distributing outlets. And more
> jobs to be created. It should also be noted that these cooperatives are to be
> replicated in certain geographic locations of the country, identifying each
> location to the produce it is best suited to cultivate. Thus if a cooperative
> is to produce corn, that is all it produced. And there must be an industry
> linked to the production of this corn.
>
> I guess the argument has always been, who can better utilize and organize
> resources, whether the government or individuals, and is central to what kind
> of economic policies to promote. But, since the political ideology of
> economics is becoming more and more blurred, and interspersed between what
> governments can and cannot do, in the one hand, and what self-serving,
> profit-conscious motivated individuals can do, on the other hand, the
> interest of a country and its people should be paramount, should governments
> and individuals find a way to work together. Thus I find it more appealing
> for a government to provide the financial guarantees for an indiviual to set
> up a company that produces something and employs people, invest in other
> activities in the economy, rather than one that is service oriented and
> accrues all the remuneration to itself.
>
> Rene
>
> NB: I stand to be corrected if I misrepresented PDOIS's position anywhere in
> this post.
>
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