During my twelve years as a public server I must been asked around 200 times, what we could do in order to grow more as a country. In the same way I asked the same question to many people that crossed my way. From Michael Porter from USA until Gokul Awargalla from India; all of them answered with some theory which was partially true and there were examples to prove it; but none of them could transmit its strategy in practical actions. They could turn an idea into words, but they couldn’t turn the word into action, because none of them have had the responsibility of risking their necks, in order to put that vision into practice. Also because the implementation and execution of a strategy doesn’t concern the advisers, it concerns those that hire him.

What do we do in order to grow more? It continues being the question of the moment. After many years of looking for an answer, and seeking for an advice, I dare to say that the answer to this question lies in the political wish to do the things you have to do, if they are popular or not.

Here I show some examples, all of them about the three last governments of El Salvador (1989-2004). President Cristiani (1989-1994) carried out a structural adjustment that cleaned the floor on which to build the new construction of our country. It surely wasn’t easy for him to eliminate the privileges, and also to simplify the tax system, pay the external debt and open the country to foreign commerce; all this was done while he was negotiating the peace, after an armed invasion of the communists of my country.

Perhaps, for President Calderón Sol (1994-1999), it wasn’t easy to modify the add value tax. President Calderón Sol selected a high class economic team, in order to re structure the telecommunication sector and modernizes the pension system, while he honored all the commitments of the peace agreements, and negotiated the FTA, and obtained for El Salvador a good investment qualification.

President Flores (1999-2004), made the dolarization, he eliminated the subsidy to diesel, he reduced the size of the State in a16% making it efficient; he brought up to date the tax system, eliminating emptiness’s and exemptions and introduced the electronic government. While he was negotiating the FTA with USA, we administered the two earthquake crisis suffered in 2001; he constructed the greatest school and road infra structure of the history and gave to El Salvador the position of an international arena player.

The three presidents had different styles of govern and special challenges to resolve, but there was a common denominator: The search of the countries’ development through its citizen’s liberty.

All the effort, sacrifice and political decisions, popular or not, were useful for El Salvador during that period of time, in order to reduce poverty in 20%; it also increased the education expenses in 200%; it opened its economy to the world reducing their products prices for the citizens; he made them have security in their savings and pensions; he made them obtain and maintain its investment grade; He also made to be recognized worldwide; the exportations were multiplied more than any other country in the region; the tax rates and inflation became the lowest in Latin America and finally, there was an economic growth higher than the worlds average.

One last example of how countries that do things well have achieved to grow well, we can find in the new members of the European Union.

Let’s not make like the little grasshopper that once, with his friend, wanted to proof their Masters’ abilities. They would ask their Master if the cricket in their hands was alive or dead; since the Master was blind, if he would answer that it was alive, the little grasshopper would squash the cricket and therefore win the Master. When the young men came in front of their Master and asked him if the cricket was alive or dead, the Master said: the answer is in your hands.

The answer for a bigger growth is in our hands.

*PhD Industrial Engineer, Entrepreneur, Executive Director of America Libre Institute, Washington D.C. Former President of ANTEL, Technical Secretary and Secretary of Treasury.
** It was published by MiPYMES magazine, May – June 2005.