You call this an environment for investment? [Archives:2003/644/Opinion]
By Hooria Mashoor
For the Yemen Times
Investment and development are two sides of the same coin. Because investment paves the way for achieving development and development cannot be realized without investment. In fact not any investment generates development where certain fields and resources should be invested in such as natural resources whether material or human, especially the latter because it is only through man that any kind of achievement whatsoever can happen. Take Japan and Germany as examples, the two are countries with limited natural resources and even threatened with natural and war disasters, these two countries managed to compete with the largest economic power in the world, the United States of America.
And when we talk about investing in human resources we talk mainly and basically about education in the first place. For it is through development of the educational system better human capabilities and resources result. Not only quantity as much as quality and type of education, because if it was just about numbers then thousands of Yemeni university graduates would not have been jobless. The market requires a number of specific criteria and requirements that are not found in most of our youth, such as technical and linguistic abilities and computer literacy.
Since mid of the '90s the State's policy towards investment had made a new move towards globalization and world market economy. Meanwhile there has been lifting of subsidies being provided for social services and allowing the private sector to participate in development projects and programs. Yet the question here is has the government done enough in order to encourage investment? Has the state decreed and enforced laws that would protect investors' rights and break the monopolies in the Yemeni market? I am afraid to say the answer is no and each investor or firm is left to his own efficiency and chance to deal with the chaotic environment.
What prompted the writing of this topic was the complaint I heard from a principal of Tulip School who was grumbling about the endless demands from taxes authority, duty authority, ministry of labor and social affairs, ministry of technical education and vocational training and finally from other schools dishonest competition.
While Tulip School designed and created its banners and campaigning tools for the summer courses and paid fees for the use of public places for this purpose, another school had simple torn off Tulip's banners and put its own publicity banners instead.
We have the right to wonder here how can a school administration commit such an immoral act, while a school is a sacred educational institution meant for teaching youth on values high principles? The more important question is what does the local council do about such a situation? What is to be done by it in order to enforce the law against those who violate the investment law and to realize justice in this society? It is particularly so when we understand that investment in education is one of the most significant kinds of investment. It is an investment dealing with the human and enhancement of their capabilities of construction and development.
Investment laws are supposed to allow and protect fair competition and encourage investment. The correct approach dictates on the ministry of education to give attention schools which contribute to efforts of the state in tackling education problems and to re-establish a better education system where better circumstances are available for both government and private schools.
It's a shame that in a big city such as Sana'a many haphazard events and violations of laws hinder both teachers and students from performing their jobs and driving the wheel of education forward.
The ministry is required to instate controls and set up criteria for giving permission for establishing any new private sector school, especially those schools that appear to simply seeking the gain of profit at the expense of the noble message of education.
The ministry is also required to monitor performance of all schools; public and private in such a manner that embody the strategic goals of making education in Yemen keep pace with changes and respond to developments.
All above demands a clean climate for competitive investment. The question is would it be too difficult for the state authorities to enforce the law and to create such a climate for serving development?
——
[archive-e:644-v:13-y:2003-d:2003-06-23-p:opinion]
