‘Leaders Can’t Outsource Their Role’
“Where there is no vision, the people perish” – Proverbs 29:18
TThe Fiji Sun.
his week the Fiji Government hosted a National Economic Summit for 500 delegates with a budgeted cost of $360,000.
The purpose of this summit was to create a “collective vision and implementation framework for Government policies.”
Market research has a time and place
Listening to people and getting feedback is good.
People want the Government to succeed. This creates better social and economic outcomes. In business, market research is carried out before you launch your product or service.
You analyse the market, customers, competitors, and develop a cost effective solution to add value for customers.
Before elections, political parties follow a similar research process. They analyse voter demographics in their region.
Politicians meet with locals, hear their concerns, and eventually a manifesto is compiled with ideas, beliefs, policies and promises. Voters evaluate the manifesto, vote for their preferred party or candidate, and eventually the winning party, or parties form a Government.
This newly elected Government then has one simple role – to deliver the promises it made to voters during the election campaign.
That is what they were elected for.
Governance via summits and workshops is concerning Government reliance on summits/workshops raises several concerns.
First, a Government should have a pre-existing strategy/vision for the country.
Second, these events waste taxpayer resources and provide selective feedback. If research was carried out pre-election, political parties would pay its own research costs.
Third, they are inefficient, and duplicate pre-election discussions.
Holding these events for research after an election shows a lack of clear vision/strategy, and reliance on group-think.
While consulting experts is at times necessary, a Government must set its own vision and delivery plan with measurable policies.
Opinion-led or data-driven decision making
This two-day summit cannot produce meaningful outcomes.
There are 12 thematic areas, with less than four hours for discussions and just 15 minutes for each theme’s presentation.
Each working group has a different chairperson, and one theme. The working groups will focus on different areas, but issues are interconnected.
An economy doesn’t operate in a silo.
One theme cannot be enhanced meaningfully without understanding the priorities of others. Enhancing “Theme 11: Transport” needs an awareness of priorities in “Theme 1: Macroeconomic Management”.
Outcomes in “Theme 2: Key Growth Sectors – Construction” rely on infrastructure in “Theme 12: Energy / Electricity”. Construction projects cannot finish on time if the root causes of power cuts are not addressed.
A few hours of discussion cannot replace the depth of insight from existing Government data.
There is a better way
A better way is for the Government to focus on answering just one question – How can the Government make more money without relying on taxes?
Taxes are the lazy way for a Government to earn income.
They discourage innovation and business growth.
Earning more public sector income from other sources, and having a smaller government with better management of public resources, can lead to better economic outcomes.
Solve the money issue first, so that capital can flow freely through the economy, and uplift all sectors in a country.
When money is flowing, there are more resources to improve infrastructure, enhance education, lift more people out of poverty, have better hospitals, and more opportunities for arts, science, industry, business, social services, etc.
A rising tide lifts all boats, and that is what can happen to Fiji if it truly becomes a world class destination for investment capital.
The Government should focus primarily on how it can create a high income earning economy for locals with low or no taxes. This will improve outcomes from the poorest to the richest.
It encourages innovation, selfsufficiency, and true economic freedom which creates even more opportunities for the country.
Leaders can’t outsource their role
Expecting members of the public to provide vision, policies, implement framework and coach the Government on what it should do, leads to a key question:
Why are voters doing work that Government officials were elected for?
Handpicking 500 delegates to shape government policies also raises concerns.
How were they selected?
Are they political lobbyists?
Were they vetted for security
reasons?
Will every relevant demographic be represented?
Is it fair that 500 people influence the Government’s priorities and plans out of a population of 900,000+?
Those who were invited will be in for a treat.
For less than four hours of discussion at a workshop, they can eat and network with the highest levels of Government for free over two days, before heading to a closing cocktail. Ordinary people can see what is happening.
They know by Monday, the status quo continues.
A simple cost effective solution for community input
A low cost alternative for the Fiji Government to get feedback would include:
1. An online questionnaire.
2. Ask people to complete this anonymously.
3. Collate and analyse results. Identify themes. Prioritise focus areas.
4. Take action to make the country better.
The way forward
Fiji is facing tough economic conditions.
Spending $360,000 on a summit is unnecessary.
A lack of vision and imagination hinders progress towards better economic outcomes.
To improve the lives of Fijians, a bolder vision and cross-party political support, is needed.
Attracting more investment capital can improve socio-economic outcomes, and deliver a high quality of living for the country.
Isn’t it time for less workshops and more action so that Fiji can thrive?