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Our Message Is to Help Iran's National Economy |
Some media managers have defined entrepreneurs as "vampires" and the
capitalist as "profit seekers". What is more surprising is not opposition to
creating ground for business but rather the way it is treated which is not
acceptable and we, with our cultural and historical background, have not yet
learned how to talk. It seems that expression of such viewpoints could be
the result of two complications: either some media are so ignorant of the
country's economic atmosphere that so strongly and decisively call activists
in the private sector as "painless class of affluent" and the "profit
seeking rich"; or performance of the administrators of the largest private
sector formation has been so imperfect and inappropriate that has forced
some part of the media to show reaction.
For years the private sector has been humiliated and cursed by the
pro-leftist intellectuals under different excuses while it has been under
economic pressures from every direction. Have those who beat the private
sector with the stick of inequity and slander looked at the economic
situation these days? Are those who out of responsibility or personal
interpretations oppose allocation of the least space to private sector,
happy with the present status of the economy?
Do
they consider the present inflation rate suitable? (The latest figure was
put at 19% by government sources)
Aren't they concerned about reduced production? (It has been said that in
addition to the closure of about 20% of production units about 50% of the
remaining are operating at 60% of their capacity)
Aren't they concerned about reduced investment? (Real investment and not
what is being mentioned in papers). Foreign investment in Iran was about
$3.5bn in 2010 which figure amounted to $38bn in Saudi Arabia and over $8bn
in smaller Arab countries of the region)
Aren't they concerned about unemployment? (From 11/1% to 14/5%)
Do
they consider Iran's share in the world trade satisfactory? (Below 0/6%)
[Do they consider the rate of labor productivity in Iran to be satisfactory?
(Effective work between 20 minutes to two hours a day)
Under the status quo, do they see it possible for Iran to accomplish its
2025 Vision Plan? (Standing in the 14th place among 16 countries
in the region)
Are they satisfied with the trend and implementation of Article 44? (Units
ceded to the real private sector have been estimated at 20%)
Under the status quo, do they consider Iran's membership in WTO practical?
Many of the systems which are subsidiary to Iran's economy are still under
government control and we have a long way to go to reach standards
considered by WTO.
Are they hopeful of a rise in development growth rate of the country?
(There is a yawning gap between the present 1-2 percent to the 6-8 percent
expected in the Vision Plan)
Do
they think Iran occupies a suitable place in the 10-point indicators of the
World Bank? (We ranked 144 among 183 countries)
It
is completely obvious that no one is satisfied with the economic status quo
and no doubt, all the sympathizers of the country hope for an improvement of
its economic condition. They are after finding proper mechanisms to go out
of the present condition. What has been mentioned in the area of improvement
of business atmosphere is the accumulated demands of economic strata that
had remained unattended in the past 50 years. Of course, intellectual
propaganda on the one hand and biased opposition on the other hand, have
been effective in pushing back such demand.
Opposition of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s by the leftist intellectuals with
economic reforms and the move towards confinement of private ownership was
not that much strange but current opposition of some political currents with
the plan which resembled a panacea for the economy is astonishing.
The private sector, on the basis of what has been mentioned in Article 44,
is after substituting the government in the field of policy making. The
private sector is not after ruling and Chamber of Commerce with its 100-year
background has always served as a consultative body for policy makers and
has never been after increasing its power and expanding its political
relations.
We
address those policy makers, men of power and players in the arena of
politics that consider the private sector a public institution and arising
from the civil community, an assistant and collaborator of the ruling
establishment. Our message is helping the national economy and we are ready
to help the government come out of the accumulated economic problems.
*Ahmad Pourfallah,
Head of the Business, Entrepreneurship and Regulations Commission of Tehran
Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines |
