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Contact:
Primus Hutchinson
Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - There has been a strong appeal for the OECS
countries to adopt a more proactive and assertive approach to production and
policy formulation, in dealing with the challenges posed by outside forces.
This was enforced by Director of Economic Affairs at the OECS Secretariat,
Randolph Cato. Mr. Cato was at the time addressing the opening of the second in
a series of Financial Development Seminars hosted by the OECS-Export Development
Unit Small and the Medium Enterprise Development Programme.
Mr. Cato said that the OECS had adopted a defensive posture, which he believed
would not produce the anticipated results necessary to remain competitive and
thrive in this new economic and global environment.
“A posture maid in reluctance to believe that we in the OECS at the level of a
production unit or even at the level of policy formulation can in fact deal with
the challenges in an aggressive and beneficial way. We have continually sought
to erect structures and erect concepts of defensiveness and of protectiveness.
We are afraid of the rest of the world; we are afraid to compete. That kind of
posture cannot provide the outcomes that we want to provide, and cannot carry us
along the way to the goals and aspirations set out in the OECS Development
Charter.” Cato explained.
Mr. Cato argued that while the OECS must be protective, it must, at the same
time identify aggressively, the opportunities and possibilities, and run with
them.
“Because that’s the name of the game; the name of the game is to be competitive.
And we have to bear that in mind and to continually seek to sharpen our
competitive edge as far as possible, so that we can compete. So we have to focus
on that question of competitiveness in the production of goods and services in
the OECS, as a basis to enable us to confront the challenges facing us,” he
said.
The one day seminar entitled “Financing Your Business” was conducted in
collaboration with the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and other Developmental
and Financial Institutions.
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