WHAT SIGNALS ARE YOUR PRIORITIES BROADCASTING?

Someone said that everything we write is political

Because it pushes some view point.

So we'll take some author's liberty here and say something patently political:

The country is gripped in another electioneering period.

We can't hide under the carpet and pretend we have no views,

Or that the decision doesn't concern/affect us.

It does, whether we vote or don't, and whether we speak or remain silent.

However, conversations matter a great deal, for nothing's happens without them.

Conversations enable us to communicate what we think and feel,

And provide us with an avenue to give our views and say what is important to us.

Priorities are a signal of what we care about.

We can help elevate our political discourse by identifying and zeroing-in

On one priority issue that REALLY MATTERS to US.

Deliberation leads to action.

Action leads to results.

Results give us the outcomes we desire.

For us, as part of the big family of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs),

Our operating environment is the BIGGEST DEAL.

SMEs are the lifeblood of any economy.

SMEs are mostly family businesses and, therefore, support real livelihoods.

SMEs employ >50% of the working population.

SMEs have born the blunt of this pandemic, suffered the most closedowns,

And are saddled with the heaviest debt.

Most SMEs have bootstrapped themselves into existence,

Leveraging personal savings and family links…

So, a shutdown is not merely a business closing its doors,

But, often, amounts to a wipeout of family savings and livelihoods.

And since SMEs lack the means to lobby and hire big shot consultants,

They have become the punching bag of bad policy,

Mismanagement and maladministration –

Heavily taxed, red-taped, harassed and intimidated by authorities.

If the real hack in the modern economy is to add value, be a creator/linchpin,

And invest in productive assets,

Then SMEs are the holy-grail, to a vibrant and thriving society.

They create immediate and immense value to livelihoods and value chains;

And they are productive assets, in and of themselves.

For us, the real hack for a turnaround

From the effects of this pandemic and the ongoing economic meltdown

Is REAL support to and for SMEs.

Our vote goes to the man/woman who best demonstrates