This week the International Monetary Fund changed its estimated predictions for 2013, stating that countries like China, Brazil, India & Mexico, a group that accounted for a significant portion of last year’s 3.1% growth in the world economy have slowed considerably.
It was projected the global economic growth would increase to 3.3% in 2013, but new figures suggest that the numbers will be the same as last year. In developing nations like India and Brazil, this decrease in growth is mostly due to the inability of these countries’ leaders to enact difficult economic and political reforms, which would help to continue foster good relationships with foreign investors. To the surprise of many, the only major country that is doing better than previously thought is Japan; the Prime Minister and his government have been trying to revive the economy through aggressive enactment of monetary and fiscal policies. The IMF now believes Japan will grow 2 percent this year, up from its April prediction of 1.5 percent. Last year, Japan’s economy grew 1.9 percent.
So what does this have to do with the Turks & Caicos Islands? A lot, Turks & Caicos Islands has been declared “Open for Business”. Well, I can rent a 2,500 sq. ft. space put some inventory in it and declare my store open for business but, if I don’t research the current sales trends to determine the right type and amount of inventory to purchase and sell, employ highly trained personable staff and aggressively market my store through the right forms of media tools, am I truly open for business? The plain answer is no. It is our responsibility to take all the necessary steps to place ourselves in a position to compete for inward investment due to the high level of competition in the world today. And this means extensive policy changes, removing considerable amounts of red tape, political reform to promote governmental stability and streamlining certain bureaucratic processes.
Now it’s very easy to criticize, but that’s not my goal. I see an opportunity to market the Turks & Caicos Islands in a very unique fashion. It is impossible to add to a Rembrandt or to augment a Van Gogh, I dare you to improve on da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or enhance Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel; it just can’t be done. And that’s fine, because in my opinion there is nothing more truly amazing than the potential represented by a blank canvas. It represents many opportunities and possibilities; it can be made into something far greater than anything Van Gogh, da Vinci or Rembrandt ever made, it really all depends on the painter or painters. This is how I see my Turks & Caicos Islands, with the need for policy changes and many of our governmental processes still being in an evolving embryotic phase, this gives us the distinct advantage of the blank canvas.
This is how we market our country to large scale global investors, look out your window and see the green shrubbery, clear white sand and turquoise water, so much of which is still untouched. Show these groups the true potential and opportunities of the Turks & Caicos Islands which is still considerably in its early developmental stage and allow them to be a part of the creation process. We have had many individual investors in the past that saw the potential with their own eyes only one time and that was all the convincing needed, so much so that they not only became contributors to our economic growth, they made Turks & Caicos Islands their home.
Persons like Stan Hartling, Mark Durliat and Harold Charles, just to name a few, all contributors to Turks & Caicos Islands economic growth and all Turks and Caicos Islanders. The truth is any individual or group that has the opportunity to lay eyes on what we have to offer here in the Turks & Caicos Islands are always captivated by the natural beauty and the potential it represents, it’s time to complete the work of art! “Turks & Caicos Islands: Endless Opportunities through Endless Potential”
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN OUR EDITORIALS ARE NOT THOSE OF THE MANAGEMENT & STAFF OF RADIO TURKS & CAICOS.
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