Good planning for East Timor

This refers to the letter from Mr. D. Chandramouli, which appeared in The Jakarta Post on Feb. 24, 2001. I entirely agree with him that the people of East Timor have to get their priorities right. The first step of "having a long-term vision" that he suggested includes having economic vision, and my article was an attempt to suggest some possible alternatives. It is not that East Timor must be a "gambling den" or a "tax haven", but wherever East Timor looks for an economic niche, consistent with its economic philosophy (as yet undetermined), they can evaluate some of the available niches listed in my article.

By calling Macau or Genting Heights a "gambling den", one cannot erase the economic prosperity or jobs enjoyed by the population, which arise out of the related activities. Learning merely a lesson or two from Singapore or producing a couple of Nobel laureates does not automatically ensure prosperity.

On the other hand, well-thought-out economic planning coupled with organizing everything it takes to make the plans into reality (which is really the key to Singapore's economic success), is what will be beneficial to the people of East Timor.

Such planning, which necessarily has to be a long-term exercise, is also essential for the nascent nation if it is to have a reasonably good standard of living for its people, and not to continue to look for the next handout from donors or from the oil companies presently active in the Timor Strait.

C. G. MOGHE

Jakarta