Dr Rowley, Opposition Leader in the Lower House, claimed during his response to the Minister of Finance budget speech that the incumbent government dumped the PNM's Vision 2020 and has put nothing in its place. This is not strictly correct. When I joined the Ministry of Planning and Economic Restructuring in May 2010 I realised that the Ministry had a monitoring and evaluation unit for Vision 2020. I examined this vision in the context of the PP's manifesto and the Ministry's responsibility for restructuring the economy.
The Vision 2020 Plan defined five interacting tasks; developing innovative people, nurturing a caring society, governing effectively, enabling competitive business and investing in sound infrastructure and the environment. The Plan also called for action in many areas including improving the transport system, building ICT platforms, improving national security and containing crime.
Also, an operational plan 2010-2013 was designed and that included: development of a vibrant arts and craft industry, increasing tertiary education and the number of science and engineering graduates, a new UTT campus, investment in R&D by government and the private sector and developing an innovation database.
The first report in 2007-2008 on the performance of the plan reiterated the expectations of its Results Based Management System and defined the sub systems to be put in place, noting that the various ministries were expected to align their plans with the outcomes of the Plan; a very loose implementation system.
The second and last report 2008-2009 reported, for example, that the targets for pass rates at Advanced Level in mathematics, computer science and technology were surpassed; some $81 million was invested by government and the private sector in R&D; carnival and other cultural festivals were effectively managed and improving. This report also suggested goals and strategies under the main headings.
Tamana Park was to be a showpiece of innovation and entrepreneurship, supported by UTT, Nedco, YES, VCIP etc. The then government chose certain sectors for development (entertainment, film, fish and fish processing, food and beverage, maritime, printing and packaging) and the Plan talked about establishing a National Innovation System (NIS) and a foresighting exercise; the latter was strange since sectors were already identified.
The Vision 2020 Strategic Plan is but a wish list devoid of the structures required to achieve this vision. For example, while the Plan in calling for more educated people, which could increase the brain drain, simply says we have to build new business clusters.
The Ministry of Planning and Economic Restructuring did not dump Vision 2020 as a vision for economic restructuring. Instead we began to focus on other policies, firm objectives and strategies that could implement the vision. We needed system (institutions and networks) to implement the vision and identify circumstances that could influence our choices of activities.
I was invited to join the government to help implement the NIS I had been postulating for years–this was approved in the budget of 2010. However, the more encompassing current circumstances were those which beset the global community–we had to seek game-changers.
The global population is set to increase to 9 billion, ie 2 billion up from 2010. Globally we will have to double agricultural production and replace hydrocarbons with bio fuels. Hence our R&D have to address the dwindling supplies of energy, critical shortages of water and the need to produce food more efficiently. Food production is likely to include genetically modified plants (for more arid or saline environments) and animals. Essential mineral commodities are in short supply and more expensive to mine.
It was imperative to institute a foresighting exercise; inform ourselves on the future scenarios that could shape our markets, which would have allowed us to craft a NIS and create the required skills and technologies. On consultation the NIS was accepted by the people.The foresighting exercise had just begun when I left the Ministry.
It appears that government's activity has reverted to our short term problems; stimulating the economy via deficit funding and dabbling in innovation via competitions while UWI's principal is begging for money for research. In this regard Dr Rowley is correct.
The problems we are addressing are simply the peripheral winds that portend the gathering storm.
Mary K Kelly
maryking@tstt.net.tt