Former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan defined a developed country as: “… one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment”.
In theory, his statement is simple enough to understand but quite complicated to put into practice. Annan wasn’t specific about which country or countries he considers “developed”. He could have been talking about a small islands society with its inhabitants living simply in an idealic seaside village with the men catching or picking up the meal of the day while the women and children bask in the sun free from any worries — no fear of tyranny from within nor threats from outside. Then again, Annan could have been talking about most industrialized nations in which most of its inhabitants have high standards of living, enjoy the finest infrastructure and the latest technology. By today’s standards, a “developed” country tends to be seen to be the latter.
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Most countries follow the Western model of economic development. To gauge the level of development of a country, analysts use statistics to evaluate income per capita, life expectancy, rate of literacy, etcetera. However, financial and other man-made crises prove that even in a so-called “developed country”, not all its citizens can enjoy “a free and healthy life in a safe environment.” It all depends on the type of policies a government adopts. Of course, for the most part, citizens of well-developed countries enjoy relative peace and stability but they also face constant threats of violence and are subject to insecurities of their own making, which can make them a bit paranoid. An example of a product of such paranoia is former US President George W Bush’s “War on Terror” — a policy supposedly intended to rid the world of murderous extremists but is instead creating tensions among people in societies involved in it.
One of the main reasons why wars throughout history were initiated was because of the desire (not the need) by industrialized nations to expand their territories. Expansion meant gaining possession or control of other lands inhabited by long-established native people. It was said that nations that possessed colonies were the ones who advanced or developed dramatically because they accumulated wealth faster by reaping profits coming from the trade in products produced from the raw materials of these colonies. Some of these products were even manufactured or processed using cheap labor — the natives. Africans and Indians were victims of such exploitation by their Western colonizers in the past. Fast forward to today, capitalists call it a new name: outsourcing.
Western countries that built their empires through industrialization using colonies now outsource much of their manufacturing to countries where labor is still cheap. This comes at a price though. Not only is outsourcing taking jobs away from their local citizens, it is creating underclasses elsewhere. Some laborers in factories in China, for example, probably get just a few cents for every pair of $200 Nike shoes they stitch together. And even though China has become the second wealthiest nation in the world, not everyone there can enjoy “a free and healthy life in a safe environment”. For one thing, freedom of speech is still suppressed and the Chinese government can take away an individual’s liberty very easily. Furthermore, the speed with which China accelerates growth in its manufacturing industries leaves little chance for the havoc it wreaks to their environment to be managed properly.
Manufacturing provides jobs even for low-skilled workers.
Speaking of China, their unprecedented rate of growth, which propelled them to the slot of the second largest economy in the world, is giving them enough confidence to be a little bolder in claiming ownership of lands where sovereignty is still disputed. The Scarborough Shoal, part of the group of islands located in the west of the Philippine Sea, is where China is positioning its vessels in what is reportedly an effort on the part of the Chinese government to claim ownership over the area. Their hunger for raw materials and energy sources is what is driving them to go further out of their main territory. It remains to be seen if the Philippines, which also claims ownership over the islands there can use diplomacy to solve this standoff. If tact fails, our military is said to be gearing up for battle to protect what they say is ours.
The military standoff between China and the Philippines is forcing some to realize that we may not be ready for a full-on war with anybody without the help of the US military. Not everybody is happy with this arrangement though. Filipinos from leftist groups are protesting the increasing presence of the US military in what is said to be a joint exercise between theirs and our own military. But whether some Filipinos like it or not, our situation practically dictates our dependence on the military strength of the US in dealing with such a crisis situation.
Our armed forces seem to be incapable of protecting our safety from internal and external threats at the moment. If we want to be more independent, we need to upgrade our military capability — the strength of our navy, most obvious among others. We can only afford to upgrade our military if we allocate enough budget for it and to have enough budget means working on growth in our economy.
This brings us to an important question: What kind of life do Filipinos want to live? Our growing population is obviously outpacing its ability to lead a quiet seaside village lifestyle. And while most Filipinos today aspire for a Western lifestyle, many still apply that same traditional laid-back approach. Many others still struggle with a very backward existence. They have no electricity and very little or no access to information technology. You can find some such folk even just a few minutes away from the central business district of Manila. The Philippines cannot afford to feed its enormous population for various reasons, one of which is the lack of an efficient mechanized agriculture sector. The amount of arable land is also limited for the size of its people. It doesn’t help that the country’s population growth, which is said to be at a steady rate of at least 2% annually tends to knock out any sudden burst of economic growth achieved through government and consumer spending.
If Filipinos want to achieve First World status, the country can do it either by curbing its population growth to a rate proportionate to the feeding or holding capacity of its land and economy or by speeding up its industrialization. There are people like me who do not want more factories in the Philippines because of the damage it can cause to our environment. But if we are to remain relevant in today’s world, we need to build a strong manufacturing base in the country. Manufacturing can provide jobs even for low-skilled workers. It is mainly through this that the status of the country’s poor can improve. At present, our service-based industry is only providing jobs for highly skilled workers, which means that economic growth is not inclusive of the lower class. But how do we start an industrial revolution? Let’s look at how the some countries do it.
Countries like China and Singapore have adopted government industrial policies to stay competitive. Their policy includes providing the funds for the set-up factories to attract foreign investors. Fareed Zakaria’s article in TIME magazine outlined how they implement their policy:
In 2009, when Bridgelux, a light-emitting-chip manufacturer, was searching for a new factory site, the company considered the cost of building in the U.S. or elsewhere. The government of Singapore offered to pay half the setup cost of the plant.
Andrew Liveris, CEO of Dow Chemical Co., has also been arguing for a national policy (in the US) aimed at reviving manufacturing. Companies cannot compete with countries, he notes in his book, Make It in America.
Liveris argues that not only would a manufacturing policy produce good long-term jobs, it would also upgrade the work skills that are crucial to keeping innovation alive. “Innovation doesn’t just happen in laboratories by researchers,” he told me. “It happens on the factory floor. The process of making stuff helps you experiment and produce new products. If everything is made in China, people there will gain the skills, knowledge and experience to innovate. And we will be left behind.” He worries that with tablets like the iPad and Kindle being made mostly in Asia, the next generation of these products could well be imagined there.
It does make sense to assume that the people who manufacture the products will eventually retain the knowledge and skill acquired and use these to help themselves come up with a much-improved version or a spin-off of the product. This is exactly how the Japanese and the South Koreans did it 40-odd years ago. There was a time when “Made in Japan” or “Made in Korea” meant “shoddy” workmanship. Now it is “Made in China” that has the same reputation. But there will come a time when their reputation will eventually become synonymous with quality and excellence.
Sadly, not much has changed with the state of the manufacturing industry in the country today even after Marcos have left. James Fallows summed it up quite succinctly in an article written in 1987:
Manufacturing? “There were not many viable sectors to begin with, and most of them were taken over by cronies. The industrial sector is used to guarantee monopoly and high-tariff protection. It’s inward-looking, believes it cannot compete. People are used to paying a lot for goods that are okay-to-shoddy in quality. Labor costs are actually quite high for a country at this stage of development. They should be like Sri Lanka’s but they’re like Korea’s, because union organizing has run far ahead of productivity. It’s a poor country–but an expensive place in which to produce. American and Japanese firms have set up some electronics assembly plants, but they’re only buying labor, not building subsidiary industries or anything that adds real value.’
Our public servants must understand the complicated problem hindering the development of our manufacturing industry and eliminate them if we are to succeed in a competitive environment or we will forever be the laggard of Asia. Even the Asian Development Bank (ADB) says that the Philippines needs to develop its industrial sector for our growing labor force:
To achieve inclusive growth, the Philippines needs to develop a stronger industrial sector to create productive job opportunities for the growing labor force. However, as the growing literature in industrial development illustrates, industrial upgrading and diversification are unlikely to take place without public intervention due to failures require public policy response or support specific to each product. The government needs to play an active role to help entrepreneurs take advantage of market opportunities.
A first step toward effective industrial development is to undertake broad-based reforms necessary to address the long-standing challenges such as tight fiscal position and weak business and investment climate. Fiscal consolidation is urgently needed to increase spending on infrastructure, since public investment has been constrained by weak revenue performance and poor expenditure management. The business community has been concerned about cumbersome business procedures and over-regulation, weak contract enforcement and property rights, and rigid labor market regulations. While significant progress has been made both in fiscal consolidation and business environment, experience in the country shows that broad-based public sector interventions are not enough to effectively develop the industry sector.
The ADB also provided a list of products that the Philippines can manufacture. They are basically doing all the thinking for us Filipinos. They are already handing the solution on a silver platter. It is all up to our government if they are up to the challenge of even looking into the development bank’s proposal. The incumbent President cannot delude himself any longer into thinking that our economy is recovering just because someone told him that TIME magazine said “The laggard of Asia is recovering the dynamism it had in the 1960’s.” Our country’s problems cannot be solved by consumer and government spending alone. There are deep-rooted problems he needs to address. This should start with a clean up of his cabinet members who also serve as his drinking and shooting buddies. If he does not act on this now, one can be forgiven for thinking that he does not want to allow all Filipinos to enjoy a free and healthy life.
In life, things are not always what they seem.
Good article and good point Ilda. Philippines is a very potential country to be developed just like Japan and Singapore problem is, our people; they want to earn money but they don’t want to work hard and most of our kababayan are contented on what they have for a day, goodluck for tomorrow.
@traffice2000
Just like what I said in the article: “And while most Filipinos today aspire for a Western lifestyle, many still apply that same traditional laid-back approach.” They could be waiting for a whipping.
Thanks!
God revealed this idea to me; a very radical way of transformation; beyond my thinking capability. A social enterprise type of business; manufacturing job for the poor; for those marginalized by the social system; not an ordinary compensation plan and program that can make them be on top and total transformation from inside-out. I believed this will be successful; God speak and His will be done!
I think, kung bibigyan mo siguro ng trabaho ang mga Filipino, tingin ko magsisipag siya. Problema nga, walang trabaho. Biruan nga namin dito sa abroad, bakit dito, huwag ka lang mapili, makakakuha ka ng disenteng trabaho at disenteng kita. Sa Pilipinas, hindi ka na nga namimili, wala ka pa rin makuha. 🙁
So true about the lack of jobs in the country. But let’s not forget that some Filipinos can take any job even with little pay when they are overseas because when they send their dollars back home, the exchange rate is higher.
In other countries, trades people like plumbers and electricians can earn more than white collar workers. This is not the case in the Philippines.
in fort mcmurray alberta if you are a welder,plumber, electrician any skill trade you can make as much as 100 thousand dollars or more. blue collar jobs pays really well in canada but not in the philippines
Social Enterprise is the key.
The Philippine Constitution of 1987 provided sound guidelines for development and growth. Article XII, Section 1 states: “The goals of the national economy are a more equitable distribution of opportunities, income, and wealth;a sustained increase in the amount of goods and services produced by the nation for the benefit of the people; and an expanding productivity as the key to raising the quality of life for all, especially the underprivileged.”
“The State shall promote industrialization and full employment based on sound agricultural development and agrarian reform, through industries that make full and efficient use of human and natural resources, which are competitive in both domestic and foreign markets. However, the State shall protect Filipino enterprises against unfair foreign competition and trade practices.”
“In pursuit of these goals, all sectors of the economy and all regions of the country shall be given optimum opportunity to develop. Private enterprises, including corporations, cooperatives, and similar collective organizations, shall be encouraged to broaden the base of their ownership.”
I did not include all provisions as this is too lengthy. The Constitution is crystal clear on the matter. Yet the sleeping president Mr. BS Aquino does not even seem to see the guiding provisions of the Fundamental Law. What is happening to our economy and to our industries is tragic as he continues his laid back style of management actually seen in the light of truth as mismanagement. We have oil and natural gas. Why is it taking so long to work out deals for extraction? Why is he not spending for infrastructure projects? Why then is he not creating livelihood programs instead of mendicancy projects? Perhaps our good GRP readers can add their views. Despite the outline of the Constitution we are still lagging behind. The truth is we are not moving forward. Mr. BS Aquino is the problem not the solution. Remember this nightmare is not yet over.
@DF
Yes, there are provisions in the constitution about promoting economic development of the nation but it is not specific about how to implement it. Sadly, our public servants always find a loophole or some excuse for not doing their jobs. Any excuse will do to keep the status quo as long as it benefits the incumbent leader and his cronies.
Remember I reviewed Cecilo Arillo’s book A Country Imperiled? He quotes economist Alejandro Lichauco, who has a problem with the second paragraph of this section. He says it’s self-contradictory, that you can’t develop industrialization through developing agriculture. He calls it a legacy of US imperialism based on the Dodds Report, which wants to prevent industrialization and keep the Philippines a poor agricultural society.
Lichauco also says “protecting Filipinos against unfair competition” is unclear. He prefers to protect Filipinos against any competition. But I would find it better to remove this protection clause at all.
I still think this all still reflects the need to alter the charter.
Fast forward two years… just go ahead and industrialize, charter change or not.
Arroyo had it right for a time: bring in outsourced services. That one at least cushioned the impact of unemployed young people with service skills. The catch now is to expand the employer base to encompass more technical skills. Subic Bay shipyard is an excellent example, employing steelworkers who would otherwise be under-uitilized in backyard latero shops.
Much as it may sound like “imperialist exploitation”, the Philippines had a chance of being more competitive before the Parity Amendment was repealed. The people who were agitating for its repeal were the very people who have kept the Philippines under protectionist policies up to Ramos’ time, i.e cronies, oligarchs, unionists, and dimwit leftists who packaged the racket under “nationalism”. Save for a few very brave and innovative souls who brought in capital goods to really get into world-class manufacturing, the “nationalists” revelled in their buy-out of thriving American companies and drove those businesses to obsolescence (BLTB the bus company comes to mind).
@Don
The problem with our society is that employers discriminate against people who don’t have college degrees. Opportunity becomes even more limited for the poor who can’t afford higher education. Hopefully when there is more demand for workers because of a stronger industrial sector, this mentality will change.
Speaking of Subic, there are still a few areas there that the government can convert into factories. It is also very accessible because it is near a major airport, deep-water port and the new immaculate highway.
All we need is a leader with a clear vision for our future.
I would declare that Filipino employers (those “nationalists”) have a strong bias in favor of college degrees; in my experience foreign employers look for applicable skills and people management skills over degrees. Seems that most Filipino CEOs would rather have muppets with MBA’s and UAAP yes-men than real people who can stand toe-to-toe when presenting a business case.
I went around the Ilocos region locating potential places for a port and found at least 3 places in Ilocos Sur that are perfect for shipping and docking facilities. The catch: all are in Singson’s fiefdom, where nothing ever gets done without his “blessing”, and the national government ignores his uppity bullshit. All the central government has to do is flex its muscle against his feudalism, but it chooses to look away. And that is despite the Ilocanos actually wishing for him and his seed to die off.
It sounds like you’ve gotten way too much BS from CEOs.
As for Singson, local gov’t “leaders” usually have to give their gracious “blessings” (and you have to give them theirs) before anything gets done. Some local politicians are so full of BS to the point that I think they actually believe the BS they are peddling.
I remember a story of a potential investor who wanted to set up shop in a major city in the province south of the Ilocos region. The “leader” wanted a cut that would’ve made HIM majority shareholder and make the investor earn a pittance from his investment. Naturally, the investor said “screw you” and decided to move to an investor friendlier province.
Since you’ve mentioned it already, Don. One of the things keeping this country poor are the quality of its “leaders” in local governance. Like what you’ve mentioned in your post, even if people wanted to get rid of them, they simply can’t — some for life-threatening reasons. A good example would be some of our good people down in Mindanao.
How can gov’t bring progress to the countryside when its local representatives are the ones suppressing it? I think there are more agents of the status quo than there are exceptions to the rule. If it was the other way around, I think the country won’t be in this mess.
I find it really incredible how a public servant can easily become some kind of Lord in some regions. It says a lot about the mental capacity of the people who tolerate it. And obviously the national government does not have the balls to fight for the people. Both always have election in mind, I suppose. The people look forward to hand-outs during the campaign periods and the political parties look forward to the endorsement by whoever is the big shot in the region.
Usually, these lords have been lords for a long time. Such as from before the Marcos Era. I think warlordism is still one problem today that dates way back… at least to after World War 2.
Damn, another fine article with nothing for me to crab about. Even your lecture of President Aquino in the last paragraph is wholly constructive. You are right, the President should stop reading the nice news and bragging about his achievements and . . . ahem . . . “get real”.. . and get things done. Like an HR Bill.
Regarding the China standoff, you write: “If tact fails, our military is said to be gearing up for battle to protect what they say is ours.”
Do you think Filipino men now now in the military have the passion to enlist and put their lives at risk? I see the absence of a patriotic passion as a potential weakness. I also don’t see Mr. Aquino as a charismatic sort who can rally the nation. I think he would have to have full support of the “ralliers” like Senators Santiago and Estrada behind him.
erratum: not now in the military
Any country will always have problems, internal or external. Industrialization may be the key to the development of a country.
Self sufficiency of food is vital also. If a country, cannot feed itself, like our country. Then, something wrong with it. The main cause in our country is:Feudalism. Many huge landowners are our political leaders. Hacienda Luisita is an example…We need a good implementation of Agrarian Reform, in order to have self sufficiency of food. Industrialization is not possible. Our brains, or most of our Technical people have gone OFWs…the ones left are mostly YellowTards…Politics is our main industry. OFW/Drug Mules are our primary export, that float the economy. We need capable and good leadership. Men with visions, not men with hidden agendas to get rich…
my london secretaries/researchers cost me around 3 million pesos a year (salary &overheads).
My web/app developers close to 7 million pesos a year.
I have tried repeatedly to offshore/outsource these functions to philippines but the potential cost savings are meaningless if there are not the people with the skills or, just as important, the right attitude & aptitude.
The opportunities are there, but no-one has the will, vision or passion to change the status quo for the benefit of all, simply pick up the crumbs, beg for aid, and steal/evade tax whenever possible.
Management is archaic with a lack of innovation, creativity, and basic motivational skills.
The bureaucracy and laws actively discourage investment, not to mention the corruption which actually seems to be getting worse/more widespread.
The infrastructure and telecomms as bad and expensive as the power industry. Are these guys stupid or what.
” Champions/leaders are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.” – Muhammad Ali
P-noy will achieve nothing which is why businessmen invest elsewhere, and he and his cohorts couldnt care less. ‘ we’re all right, juan’
those work shy senators/congressmen who have destroyed the country over the past 30 years should be revilled and only new blood – not from political clans – new thinking and a new direction will offer any hope, but maybe the tipping point has already been reached.
Bravo Ilda, for another great article.
This is why you’re one of my fave writers here in GRP and also on AP.
I’ve been telling my friends for years that we shouldn’t be just a nation of consumers but a nation of producers as well if we ever wish to go forward as a nation.
Unfortunately, our heavy-industry capability is either dead or dying. Our steel industry is dead and our mining industry threatens to go the same way.
Echoing benign0’s past posts, when will the elite of this country become enlightened? When their descendants can no longer suck our blood as they have always been doing for the past 100 years?
And yes jay,sadly Europe’s IT capability is
light years ahead of ours. Heck, they’re so good at it that they create beautiful (and free!) phone themes in their spare time, just for the heck of it!
Phone themes pa lang yan ha, eh paano pa kaya pagdating sa mga web design, or apps, etc.?
Not to mention Mr. Torvalds’ masterpiece: Linux.
This is what Windows 7 wishes it could have been.
@Ronald, Microsoft is already getting their revenge. It’s called Nokia.
Abandoned in-house OS in favor of Ballmer’s baby.
Finnish workers fired, European factories moved to Phil err I mean Vietnam.
Oh, you’re talking about the obsolete Symbian platform, aren’t you?
Just shows what can happen if you rest on your laurels for too long.
But you missed my point.
Have you ever used a PC with a Linux (e.g. Fedora) kernel? The OS is so efficient and compact it makes a Pentium 3 equipped PC perform like a Dual Core machine.
It’s not about how successful Linux is, but how efficient it is compared to Windows Vista or even, I don’t know, Win 7.
Look at a PC with Fedora, you could almost swear you’re using a more efficient version of Vista.
I know, I’ve used one for almost 2 years.
Isn’t the Mac OS also built from a similar kernel (Unix, maybe) which is why it has a small footprint, performs so well, and is rock-stable? Well, at least the older versions as the newer releases seem to have their share of crashes. I haven’t upgraded my Mac OS Leopard and it still delivers the same performance it exhibited when the unit was fresh out of the box in 2007…
@ronald, they had another one. It’s called Maemo. The supposed migration path. But they didn’t gave it a chance and the top dogs focused on symbian.
http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n900-2917.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n9-3398.php
@Ronald
Although the spending fuelled by the remittances from OFWs help keep the economy afloat, the country has become too dependent on this stop-gap measure to ease unemployment. Like what I wrote in my previous article:
“How exactly do the remittances help? It is premised on the idea of “a people-centered emphasis on growing levels of consumptions and a widening middle class.†In other words, corporations are looking into the spending habits of the hard-working and mostly displaced Filipinos abroad who earn foreign currencies and who do not have a habit of saving.
The remittances are also dependent on the economic conditions of the countries where Filipinos seek employment. When countries like Saudi Arabia stop accepting OFWs for one reason or another, the OFWs will have no choice but to come back home and the spending fuelled by their remittances will likewise stop and adversely affect industries across the country.”
That’s why the biggest industries here are real estate, construction and mall development.
Unfortunately our architects are seldom utilized in big projects,they just get hired as consultants while foreigners design the structures.
This is discouraging to an aspiring architect like me.
Another thought crunching read Ilda :).
I think most of us know that something needs to be done beside from letting thing be the way they are. You talk about “laid back” attitude while Jay describe it as:
“…couldnt care less. ‘ we’re all right, juan”.
I describe it as the Philippines Population as suffering from the “3rd Generation syndrome”.
The ancient chinese had a saying:
“Fu Bu Guo San Dai”.
Literally, it means: “Wealth do not last 3 generations”.
The reason being:
1st Generation = Focus on creating wealth from zero.
2nd Generation = Focus on preserving wealth because they know the value of hard work.
3rd Generation = Wealth destruction as they spent everything the previous two generations worked for.
The 3rd generation children failed to comprehend the importance of generating an income and as a result were unable to adopt a savings plan or meet their own costs for the present and future…
as what the Philippines is facing now with regards to its defence and manufacturing capacity.
So the cycle begins all over again.
And this is the reason billionaires like Bill Gates are not giving the bulk of their fortune to their kids. They want their kids to appreciate the value of hard work and make a name for themselves. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision, which makes them even more admirable.
Thanks!
@benign0
I’m really no I.T. whiz,and the new Mac OS’s are really similar to Linux flavors like Fedora (the Linux flavor I’ve used) as they both use Terminal (sort of a Linux version of DOS), but I hope this link will help explain things:
http://askubuntu.com/questions/11392/what-are-the-differences-between-mac-os-and-linux
I hope this helps! ^_^
Thanks, I’ll check it out. 🙂
@jay
That is disappointing. Even if you want to give jobs to Filipinos, it seems it will hurt your bottom line. Have you tried inquiring if it’s worth outsourcing some work to India? I know that is another option.
Now PNoy is of the belief that “The laggard of Asia is recovering the dynamism it had in the 1960′s†just because TIME magazine says so. As if it really means something in the long term.
The president can wake me up (i.e. brag) when we get there. :p
the government should create an environment where innovation and manufacturing can flourish its manufacturing that created the boom years after the second world war and its manufacturing which created the middle class in the united states , canada and western europe asia.
Exactly. PNoy needs a refresher course in economics.
Ilda I salute you for another fine and enlighting article! Intelligence is sexy!
Hi James!
I like writing about the economy because I want to understand why we remain “Asia’s laggard”. Unfortunately, only a handful of people are interested in the topic.
Thanks for the compliment. 😉
Actually, Filipinos who are working as factory workers abroad like in the US are fast learners. They will adjust fast! Filipinos who came from the Philippines as OFWs who work abroad then later became an immigrant of that country are the best workers compared to their counterparts. Filipinos who are working in the Philippines are no different than OFWs.
I believe the only way to offset the poverty in the Philippines is to control their growing population. For starters…
1. They need to pass the RH Bill.
2. Filipino politicians should and must decide to amend the 1987 Constitution by the abolishing the 60/40 restriction.
If you read what happened to Singapore with LKY and China. They opened up their economy to foreign investors who invested billions of $$ in their country. How long could the Philippines on like this?
I recently watched an interview with Zobel de Ayala on ANC Business. He said he welcome competition, “Its good for the Ayala Group”.
hi ilda,
great article and i agree with you 100%. Sad thing is our govt policy makers inclined so much to liberalization of trade in a way killing our local manufacturers. Simple example, if you are into manufacturing and you source your raw materials abroad, you will noticed that tariff duty for the raw materials most of the times are higher or just the same in importing intermediate materials or worse the same with semi-finished materials. As we all noticed we are flooded with products imported from countries who supported their local manufacturers (e.g. CHINA) coz its the profitable way of doing business in our country. As a result we end up being a consumer nation. Our trade policy is so distorted and I wonder what our so called intelligent policy makers or top-notch economists in the govt are doing.