It is being said that the country is in a crisis. Others are claiming that we have problems but we cannot say that we are in a crisis.
Others would claim that things have never been so bad that there is the need to take to the streets. Others yet claim that some sectors are facing certain challenges as a result of their inability to change with the times; while those that have taken the opportunities that the market presents them with are not feeling the air of a crisis.
Those that speak of a crisis used to refer to the country's economic situation. Now they are also speaking of a social crisis.
Are we really facing a crisis? Are there grounds for all this pessimism? On the other hand, should one just bury one's head in the sand and seek to live in a fool's paradise? Is there a middle ground somewhere? Is there room for a realistic view of things without sounding over-optimistic or over-pessimistic?
The word "crisis" implies a battle cry for action. Is there need to sound this battle cry? Is there someone who is trying to get the economy to embark on the road of a self-fulfilling prophecy; that is talking of a crisis even if it is not there, would eventually bring about the crisis?
And what about the social issues? Is there a social crisis? In what segments of society is there a crisis?
There are some who panic whenever they see a problem coming. There are others who take a laissez faire attitude.
Both are wrong. A problem has to be tackled in its own time always trying to take a rational approach to it. However there is a big difference between tackling a problem and tackling a crisis.
Those of us my age, who had been through the severe job shortages for most of the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s, had their young adulthood marred by several episodes of political violence which represented a real threat to democracy, had their dreams shattered by a discriminatory system of tertiary education, would have thought that after the decision to join the European Union as determined by the referendum and the general election result that confirmed that decision, would have had the opportunity to lead a quieter life. It was not to be because we are being told, yet again, that we have a crisis.
Some people seem to have it in their DNA to talk of a crisis. When they are in a position of authority, they talk of a crisis as that would serve them as an alibi to hide their inadequacies and to reduce the expectations of those they have to lead. When they are not in a position of authority, they talk of a crisis as they feel that would undermine those that are leading.
This is evident in economic, business, social and political circles. This is why it is pertinent to keep asking the question as to whether we are really in a crisis.
Whether we have a social crisis or not is not within the scope of this contribution. So I will ignore the issue.
What about the economic crisis? Looking at the main indicators of an economy, one notes positive trends in some and negative trends in others. What constitutes a major negative trend for us (the fiscal deficit) is not even reported upon in a newspaper like The Economist when it reports weekly on the economic trends in several countries. It reports rather on other indicators like the gross domestic product, inflation, balance of payments, industrial production, foreign reserves and others.
I am not claiming that the level of fiscal deficit is not an issue; all I am claiming is that what may constitute a crisis for us is not considered to be an issue by others.
The gross domestic product is not growing at a fast enough pace. However, the point that needs to be made is that when other countries (with an economic structure similar to ours) were experiencing significant drops in their GDP some 18 months ago, we were not so negatively affected. So their growth rates of today is only allowing them to recover what they have lost. We have not lost but neither have we made any significant gains.
Consumer price inflation is also well under control, thanks to the element of competition that we have in the economy. One may claim that a reduced level of inflation would mean that the business sector is not realising the profit margins it used to in the past.
Does this mean that we are in a crisis? The consumers would tell you that we are not since they are benefiting from lower prices. Parts of the business sector would also claim that they are not in a crisis because they have managed to adjust to the new scenario. Those that that have not managed the change process claim that we are in a crisis.
Another issue is jobs. Those that are clamouring that we are in a crisis forget that there are today 3,700 persons in full-time employment - more than there were five-and-a-half years ago. What one can also note today is that employers still claim that they cannot find suitable persons for employment in a number of areas.
They also claim that over the past months they have sought to recruit persons and it has been difficult for them to do so. In effect there are some segments of the economy that are growing and creating jobs, while other segments are not. Employees that cannot adjust to these developments are finding themselves in difficulty.
Yet another issue is tourism. I have read that the tourism sector is in one big crisis. They point to the closure of some hotels as evidence of this crisis.
The fact is that some of the properties that have closed down have been good performers and the decision by their owners to close down should not be seen at all as an indication of a crisis. Anecdotal evidence shows that some segments within the tourism industry (those that have adjusted more quickly to today's realities) have had a boom year in 2003.
I strongly believe that the problems we are facing result more from our inability to manage and initiate change as we have very often tried to resist it or ignore it or at best cope with it. This applies to all players in the economy - employers, employees, trade unions, public entities, etc.
Where the change process has been managed, you do not hear of talk of crisis. It is this issue that needs to be addressed; and managing change is no crisis at all. If one does not manage change then one ends up in a crisis.