Keeping up with the Joneses

“Vision 2020” is the primary development goal of Trinidad and Tobago. This, according to the Social and Economic Policy Framework 2006-2008 document put out by the Ministry of Finance is a vision for the economic, social and political development of the country, whereby Trinidad and Tobago will attain developed country status by the year 2020. To achieve this, the country must invest heavily in its people, move away from the dependence on the energy sector and build on the competence of existing institutions.

If this goal is to be achieved, then TT would join the ranks of countries including the USA, Canada, UK, some countries in Europe, Australia and Japan as that group called ‘developed’ or “advanced.” A feature of this advancement was the structural transformation of the economies as distinguished by a marked reduction in the agricultural population of the labour force and an increase in trade with the rest of the world.

The economies of these countries had changed from being agrarian to industrialised by the end of the 19th century. Some have gone further and their economies are now services or knowledge based. Japan is listed as being the only country to have achieved developed status in the 20th century– all the others got there around the time of the great industrial revolution.

World Bank reports list some other countries as being close to having developed country status: Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia — the Asian Tigers as they have been called. Prior to the world recession of the 1980’s, this list included Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. Today we can add India and China to the list of rapidly developing countries.

FINDING A PLACE

The countries of the Caribbean join the long list of economies listed as “developing,” underdeveloped or “third world,” which are struggling to find a place in the international economic order.

Development theorists have forwarded many approaches a government can pursue on the road to development and Caribbean countries have tried many of these; for example Import Substitution Policies, Industrialisation by Invitation and Export-led Development. Analysts and academics have said that the success of newly developing countries was due to the pursuit of an export-led development thrust — opening up their markets, inviting foreign direct investment, and establishing free trade zones to create employment and keeping labour costs low. Caribbean countries have made some progress in transforming and diversifying their economies. Agriculture remains important but its exports are characterised by high production costs and sold in protected markets. Manufacturing is growing and services, mainly tourism, form the mainstay of several of the economies. Challenges to development continue to be the open nature of the economies which make them vulnerable to exogenous changes in the terms of trade, the small range of products in which they trade, the progressive erosion of the preferential treatment they have enjoyed and the not so occasional natural disasters which cause serious setbacks for these countries.

Trinidad and Tobago has pursued Import Substitution Policies, Industrialisation by Invitation and Export-led Development strategies. These have met with limited success in transforming the economy.

Aspects of a values-based society can be discerned in the reading of the documents which seek to capture the development strategies being pursued at the national level and the achievement of “Vision 2020.” But the strategy lacks a definite values statement and a consolidated and integrated approach to the achievement of values in society. A society is much more than an economy, just like an organisation is much more than its financial statements. Moral values, social relations, traditions, culture and religious practices all make up a society. Any development strategy that allows the economy alone to become the dominant factor will face serious problems. The pursuit of individual and organisational wealth via competitive market operations will overshadow considerations of morality, justice and what is good for society. Perhaps this is what we in Trinidad and Tobago are facing today as we observe the proliferation of crime and unethical practices within society.

When we ask the questions, “What do we want developed?” and “What will our society be like when it has been developed?” we must be able to answer that with the conviction that we are satisfied with the answers and it is what we wanted for ourselves; it must be development we can live with.

So values are important and these must be defined in a manner that embraces what deep down we all know to be right and good – two very simple words. These value statements must transcend all religions and embrace a spiritual dimension with which all can identify. We have had the watchwords of “Discipline, Tolerance and Production” since our independence. This was a good start. Our development strategy needs now to build on these, extending discipline to areas such as co-operation and solidarity; tolerance to respect and goodwill and production to responsibility and accountability. This must then be taken to the population for national discussions so that a rapport can be established and alongside the economic development envisaged, we would see a society that stands as a beacon above others as reflected in the way we view and treat with each other. This process can be started by reviewing and revising our Social and Economic Policy Framework to reflect a values-based approach to development. Our leaders must begin the process by first wanting to serve, to help, support, encourage, lift up others and becoming role models for others who would also want to lead by serving.

HRMATT is the professional body that represents HR Practitioners and Professionals in Trinidad and Tobago. Membership is open to those in and out of the field, nationals and non-nationals. The Secretariat can be contacted at 624-9606.

Website at www.hrmattcom