· It is the .task of the Executive to determine the major planning
objectives. A plan is essentially the tool of a development policy. There is afrequen>:; tendency to accord exaggerated importance to preparation
techniques and to expect from planning experts teçhnical solutions. to problems d.erived from a poli ti cal choice of structural reforme.
However, political choices must be prepared on the administrative level and it is the function of the administration to present the long-term implications of the various alternatives offered in a coherent way.
rllien this prGcedure is followed, the central planning organ prepares the first draft of the plan .and Sùbrnits it to the government.
Before any public or E"::en goverr..rnental discussion on the selection of major objectives takes place, provisional drafts are prepared by the planning organ, in which i t tries to shed light on the .Possible consequences of certain c:1:.:::::,.ces a:c.ë:. to ind:tcate the candi ti ons necessary for the
anticipated rates of expru1sion to be obtained. It underlines possible incompatibili ti es betwoc:n the air:Js that the plan if.l int.ended to achieve.
Very often, · i t is at this stage that the planning organ attempts to carry out its preliminary consu1taticr1s, e,go with experts, .civil servants and the private sector. It frequcnt1y restricts itself to consulting a emall group of senior officials a~ong whorn fina.YJ.cial ex:;,erts pred.ominate.
Nevertheles~, consultation on a wider basis is desirable at this stage to the
extent"'t!la·~
eoc:nornic and technical planning services become more efficient,-
38-The definition of priorities determines the political, social and economie basie on which the work of planners during :the preparation stage will be founQ.ed.
In the UAR, the preliminary draft of the 1960-1965 plan was prepared by the Planning Committee~ a purely administrative body, but the general aima of the plan were. fixed by the Higher Planning Council, with the Head of .sta~e as chairman • . These were as follows:
·
- the expansion of production, so that ·the national income ahould be doubled witliin ten yeara (1960-1970) J
the -establishment of an industrial infràstructure that might ensure the continued expansion of production.
· · The basic options were defined as follorlS 1
The private aector cannot contribute to the increase of national revenue to the extent and within the interval required by
population growth, and this fact confera the main reaponsibility for development on the public sector.
- The achievement of a balanced development of the national '· · economy is necessary.
Thirdly, there is a social objective with political implications;
"If the national economy were not planned, the difference (between the highest and lowest incomea) would continue .to increase and lead to the division of our society into
two d,iatinct. classes, i.e. a minori ty claas poasessi.ng the i,ncome from production,. and another clasa, which.would continue to increase in size, which receiveè. only a minute.
portion· of production. revenue. It would be superfluous to · stress the serious affects auch a situation would have on ~··
the social leval" (pp.9 and 1~ of the Plan).
In Senegal, planning was originally founded on the choice of a number of general objectives.
..
..
-
39-- This,choice was preceded_ by tLorough studies aimed at diag-nosing the economie, social and cultural si tua ti on .of. the
country. After interpreting this data and after technical arbitration, the Government, in the light of these studies, defined a number of long-term objectives designed to channel
th~ economy towards "African Socialism".
This poliJy forma the basis on which it is intended to found subsequent plans. It was outlined in the
"G~neral
Directives"issued on 1 August 1960.
This document is the long-term forecast plan for Senegal, and its aime are as follows:
- priority for the satisfaction of collective rather than individual n.eeds;
tw~' basic cultural objectives:
the use of a common language by the population as a whole;
the integration of the various population groups into a common denegalese civilization receptive to the contributions of the modern world;
- the Sta.te must ensure:
foreign representation and defence;
the operation of the renovated public services;
the installation of community equipment;
...,. the gradual Africanization of State structures.·· - the purely economie directives are aimed at orienting
Prod-uction in the light of the needs · of th.e expanding domestie market and at balancing int-ernational -exchanges •
The--aims of the five~year plan in Mali are as follows:
the expansion of. <lgricul tural and a,nimal production on a socialist foundation;
the. establishment of the fol.mdations ·of a planne~ and di,:ersified eco~omy (mining, oil and electric power
research), and the industrial processin:g of the principal , raw materia.ls;
the development of national consciousness, -i.e. the training of officiais, the_ ·mobilizât'ion of the masses •.
These few.examples show the importance·of political factors in the choice of the main objectives, a fact which lea~s to the establishment of an arder of priority among the economie and social.aiq1s of.development policy. This stage is essential, as it randers possible the-definition
.:· •. -! • . . .
of the standards of selection to be applied by the central planhins·organ
in preparing the detailed targetso •
The decision-making body is a government or5an. For practical reasons, since cabinet meetings are not held often enough and their
agenda is too full' the main chcii ces are c1.ecided on by an interministerial committee, over whibh the head of the government usually presides, e.g.
the Higher Planning Council in Senegal, the Higher Council for National Planning in the UAR, the Economie Council in the Sudan.
:Before makirig a decision, governments often consult either their parliaments or bodies on which political leaders are represen~ed. However, consultation at the preliminary
,.
·stage of •preparati.on is rather limi ted.Wider participàtiort might be ·considered, e.g. public meetings, but several proplems arise in this connexion;
Which orgàns should control su ch meetings j'
What procedure should be used?
1
- 1 1
1 1
1
-41-For reasons of democracy and efficiency, it might be considered wise to submit the main ohoices, which it would be diffic~lt to reject, for the appr:oval of the poli tical assembly.
FUrthèrmore, consul tatien wi th a parliamentary organ· would automati-cally give more weight to regional problems · that might be overlookêd
bëcause of the over-riding desire to make the best possible use of :the available resources on a· national leval.
If the representatives of the BJational will are not consulted. at this etage, their participation at the subseq\l?nt stages of preparation may well lose a great deal of its significance.
Parliamentary consultation may certainly give rise to difficult problems:
Parliamentary participation can be effective only if the Aesembly is presented .with a choice of several ~lternatives; .,
~ A parliamentary assembly may tend to vote in favour of the highest rates of expansion in every case, without always
ta~ng sufficient note of their implications;
- In these circumstances, should parliamentary discussion be coricentrated only on choiees of a political nature and exclude any discussion ,:df technical choices?
Even in so restricted a form, and in spite of certain technical flaws,= parliamentary consultation can provide the decision-making organe of government with a valuable idea of public opinion.
However, when a government seeks advice on the principal choioes, it usually ref~rs to small mixed committees consisting of bath politioiane and senior officiais and, if need be, the representatives of employers and wor1ter~~· .
-. 42
-In -India, the Government is advi.sed by a Parliamentary Advisory Commi ttee, while in Ceylan, this task is performed by a small ~Tational
Planning Council. In the Sudan, the Economie Council, which is the decision-making government orgàn, consul ts the Technical Commi tt.ee, which includes
. . . .
representatives of the private sector. In Senegal, ~~e Government consulta the Higher Planning Council, which is a gove~mental and administrative body. In Madap,ascar, the options are submi tted ta the Inter-Ministerial Commi·ttee· for Planning and Economic·"Development; after a meeting of the technical committees of civil servants.
In very many countries, the national aims are fixed by an individual rather than a group. He is usually the Head of State and at the same time the Head of the Government and leader of the party. In very many States with a single-party system, the party.plays a very important part in the selection· •f the principal ai ms. This is · so in the ~ and the other sooialist countries, where the main objectives of the plan are discusRed by the executi v.e organs of the party bef ore being iss\led as
government directive~. The same is also true for several African countries, more particularly Mali and Guinea.
The decision-making.process employed for the selection of the main aims by the government should be thoroughly studied from all points of view that we have merely touched on here • .
._., .. ·
- In.what.way did the central planning organ submit the technical · data related ta the choie es made and their impli:cations?
What methods are used by a government to consult the legislature, the political .parties and social and professional 8rganizations?
.In .. what mea.sure are these consul tati ons reflected in the decisions?
What arder of priority has been established for the various objectivell?
.... 43