What the business community wants from the new government to come in power from January 8, 2008 general elections, is long-term, consistent and independent economic and political policies free from any external influences, and strong energy policy to meet industrial sector demands for surplus export growth.
Several members of the business community stressed on continuity of reforms policies in taxation system and agriculture and energy sectors to convert the country's dwindling exports into surplus growth to achieve the goals of prosperity and development.
Zubair Motiwala, a leading industrialist, said that energy was the prime need of the whole industrial sector to produce much ahead of requirement, which was not available presently. He added that surplus exports growth could only be the remedy for the development and prosperity.
He suggested that any government which should come in power in general elections on January 8 should explore new and alternative sources of energy production. A full-fledged energy policy could only resolve the outstanding issues of industrial sector, he added.
"For sustainable export growth, the next government should focus on exploring new sources of energy, particularly the work on hydroelectricity should be undertaken, which is available in abundance and has not yet fully been considered," he said. Taxpayers and taxmen collection reforms should continue in future despite taking over of office by new government, he added.
About the agriculture growth, Anis Majid, Chairman, Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Association (KWGA), invited the attention of new government towards the regression of agriculture sector. He said that the next government should formulate long-term agriculture policies in consultation with traders and growers so that hurdles in the progress of this sector could easily be removed.
Elaborating the chain of agriculture development, he said that the government should stress on augmentation of per acre yield production, which would provide opportunities to rural segment of the society to earn livelihood in a better way.
Establishment of new industries will spur exports to provide the country with manifold national exchequer, which will ultimately bring about prosperity and development for the country itself and people as well, he added.
Dilemma is the growing influx of population in the cities from rural parts of the country in hopes of job opportunities, which puts a severely negative impact on annual agriculture production for unavailability of workforce, he expressed concerns.
"If such workforce is given jobs in their native rural areas, I think agriculture sector, on which Pakistan relies heavily, will grow robustly within a short span of time. But it needs only long-term and persistent polices," KWGA Chairman added.
He suggested twofold increase in per acre yield to scale down import of agriculture commodities into Pakistan and boost their exports. He added that "government should decrease financial burden on growers and poor living in the rural areas and provide them with the latest technologies to cultivate maximum land for agricultural production."
Atiq Mir, Chairman of Alliance of Market Association, said that independent, pro-people, and long-term policies were the only salvation of the country's economy. He said that the role of foreign monetary institutions, including International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the country's policies should be cut down forthwith.
Recalling the past government's policies, he said that they had also put the country's stability and development at stake by accepting the terms of these monetary institutions. However, he expressed pessimism over the next government's any positive policy toward development of trade and economy, saying that nothing better was going to happen even by next the government.
Demanding accountability of former government office holder politicians, he said that those convicted with corruption charges should not be allowed to hold any government office in the future.
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