Mental Shift Needed
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It is now obvious that there is a cultural hurdle to
overcome if the Caribbean is to move forward. So often we have restricted our
discussion of culture to the entertainment or superficial level that we fail to
recognize and understand that the economy itself is cultural in nature. In
other words the cultural norms of a society have a direct effect on all the
factors that contribute to the economy.
One of our greatest cultural problems is our approach to
time. Buses run late, we get to work late and then we realise that thousands of
man hours are lost because of this simple fact.
Without a proper public transport system, it is virtually impossible to
improve productivity. Hence, those who live in societies where things “run” on time,
immediately realise the importance of organising their business in order to
catch the train or bus that they need to get to a particular point. The result
is that time is not lost and productivity is less threatened.
We all recall when we used to get days off to attend test
cricket! Nothing wrong with supporting our cricketers, but in those days during
five day tests, the entire Caribbean came to a standstill. It was just the way
we did things. Little did we realize the negative results of being five days
behind our business while we enjoyed our cricket? We also enjoyed shopping days
for Christmas. Imagine getting time off at the peak period of commercial
activity.
During carnival and other festivals, we are known to “fire
de wuk’ while we party. Once again, there is nothing wrong with partying but we
can no longer afford to fete for a whole week and expect productivity to rise.
The simple truth is that the world has caught up with us and the days of
waiting two weeks for a passport or a week for a birth certificate, should have
been things of the past, if we intend to go forward.
This leads us to the failure of governments to approve
business opportunities quicker and to grant permission for land development and
other matters at a faster rate. All of our islands have courts that are backed
up with cases as far as two decades ago. Unfortunately, no serious business
person is going to wait a year or two to get a development approve. We still
have land sales and the settlement of estates taking years to complete. Against
this background, both local and international business is running at the speed
of molasses.
We need to retain our uniqueness without squandering real
development. We can no longer expect the world to wait on us. The information
highway almost by –passed us and we have been playing catch up now for nearly
three decades. Our agro based industries are a half century behind and our
marketing efforts on the international front are not stellar. We have to make a
mental shift and unfortunately there are very few leaders in the region, who
seem capable of inspiring us at this time.
It is possible to keep our rum shops; our closeness with neighbors;
a vibrant community spirit; our carnivals and festivals; enjoy our cricket and
arrive late for parties and dances. However when it comes to managing our
economies and developing our people , time is of the essence, and we must
transact business at what are considered
international standards. Time waits on no man and the Caribbean must accept
it will not wait on us.
The world has caught up with the Caribbean and ready or not
it is here.
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