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The coalition is stuck with the same economic model that the PPP/C favoured

Jun 07, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
I must admit at the outset that I do not know all that is required for a political party to run a government successfully. But I do not think that it is a requirement that a political party must be one of impeccable virtue. But it can be said, however, that once a political party wins the government the electorate is entitled to a regime that commits to a simple process of doing two things well. First, the whole question of improving national wealth must be one of the government’s top priorities. Second, it is the government’s business to embrace the proposition that our society is fairer when our economic gains are shared as widely as possible across the board.
Indeed, it was creditable that the PPP/C succeeded in making us richer, but it was not good news that the perception stuck that a tiny minority with unbridled wealth was pulling away from the rest of the society.
Nonetheless, the PPP/C can take heart that a strong economy is always more highly rated than one that has barely grown.
And the reason why some are suffering cannot be justifiably attributed to be claim that it was because the PPP/C got its priorities confused and a select few have outrageously big bank accounts.  Sharing the orange juice around is all well and good but the important antecedent job is that we need to grow the oranges in the first place.
There is now much talk about our new coalition and the divergences if any it brings to the table. It is no accident that our APNU/AFC coalition has never suggested that it will take our economy in a direction different to that of the PPP/C. It will have no choice but to attend to the two central priorities laid down for it. . And success is not assured.
The coalition will have five years to prove that it can become what it should be. The coalition is stuck with the same economic model that the PPP/C favoured.
And as to that bigger question of the coalition making a sharp turn to the left at some point, that is largely irrelevant.
In all of this the coalition finds itself in a tight place as it must ensure a bigger cake gets built and underwrite a bigger slice to each segment of our society.
And it will need to do this against the background of a consensus view that as a society gets better-off, it becomes more unequal at the same time.
It is interesting to see what genius APNU/AFC will deploy in dealing with our inequality issues, without alienating those with entrepreneurial talent and on whose productive activities our economy so much depends.
On this same issue, it is amazing what you can discover when you surf the internet.  I found a quotation where someone said that in the advent of a rising tide, all boats inevitably and without exception gets lifted up.
At a literal level who will disagree?
But by metaphorical extension, the claim cannot be true for the reason that in better economic times the rich and the poor alike do not all benefit automatically and equally and have more money to spend.
It is the rich who more likely than not who gets a double portion and the political repercussions touch future election cycles.
I wonder if the coalition is creating an illusion that it can be a modern day Robin Hood, taking from some who have a lot and giving it to others.
It is for these reasons, I do not envy our coalition government its job.
Wesley Hicken

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