[Urang Sunda] bagaimana irlandia jadi negara terkaya kedua eropa

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By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN The New York Times Published: June 29, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/opinion/29friedman.html?hp Ini hal yang mungkin Anda tidak tahu: Irlandia sekarang adalah negara terkaya di Uni Eropa kedua setelah Luxembourg. Ya, di negara yang selama ratusan tahun dikenal karena imigrasi warga, puisi tragisn, perang saudara, dan lepranya, sekarang memiliki GDP perkapita lebih tinggi dari Jerman, Prancis, dan Inggris. Bagaimana Irlandia berubah dari orang sakit di Eropa menjadi orang kaya di Eropa kurang dari satu generasi adalah cerita yang luar biasa. Ini bercerita pada Anda tentang Eropa sekarang: semua inovasi muncul di negara pinggiran Eropa yang memeluk globalisasi dengan cara mereka sendiri--Irlandia, Inggris, Skandinavia, dan Eropa Timur--sedang mereka yang ikut model sosial Prancis-Jerman mengalami pengangguran. Perubahan Irlandia dimulai akhir 1960-an saat pemerintah menggratiskan sekolah menengah, memungkinkan anak kelas bawah bisa menyelesaikan sekolah menengah atau sekolah teknik. Hasilnya, saat Irlandia bergabung Uni Eropa pada 1973, mereka bisa mengandalkan tenaga kerja berpendidikan mereka. Pada pertengahan 1980-an, Irlandia sudah mendapat keuntungan awal anggota Uni Eropa, seperti subsidi pembangunan infrastruktur dan pasar lebih luas. Tapi mereka masih belum memiliki produk kompetitif untuk dihasilkan, akibat proteksi dan kesalahan fiskal selama bertahun-tahun. Negara itu bangkrut dan para sarjananya berimigrasi ke luar negeri. "Kami meminjam, membelanjakan, meningkatkan pajak dan itu nyaris menenggelamkan kami," kata Deputi PM Mary Harney. "Hanya karena kami nyaris tenggelam, kami berani berubah." Irlandia pun berubah. Dalam perkembangan yang tidak biasa, pemerintah, serikat pekerja terbesar, petani, dan kalangan industri bersetuju melakukan langkah perbaikan fiskal, memotong pajak korporasi sampai 12,5 persen, mengurangi gaji dan harga, serta merayu investasi asing. Pada 1996, Irlandia membuat pendidikan tinggi pada dasarnya gratis, sehingga tenaga kerja berpendidikan lebih banyak lagi. Hasilnya sangat fenomenal. Sekarang, 9 dari 10 perusahaan farmasi terbesar dunia memiliki pabrik di sana, seperti 16 dari 20 peralatan pembuat medis serta 7 dari 10 perusahaan pembuat piranti lunak. Tahun lalu, Irlandia mendapat investasi Amerika lebih banyak daripada Cina. Dan secara keseluruhan, pendapatan pajak pemerintah meningkat. "Kami membuat pabrik di Irlandia pada 1990," kata Michael Dell, pendiri Dell Computer. "Yang menarik kami? Tenaga kerja berpendidikan dan universitas bagus di dekatnya. Irlandia memiliki kebijakan industri dan pajak yang secara konsisten mendukung bisnis, siapapun yang sedang berkuasa secara politik di sana. Saya percaya ini karena banyak orang yang ingat saat buruk saat pembangunan ekonomi terlalu terkait politik. Irlandia juga memiliki transportasi dan logistik sangat baik--mudah bagi produk apapun mendistribusikan produknya di pasar utama di Eropa dengan cepat." Akhirnya, tambah Mr. Dell, "Mereka kompetitif, ingin berhasil, haus dan tahu bagaimana rasanya menang. Pabrik kami di Limerick, tapi kami juga memiliki beberapa ribu orang penjualan dan teknis di luar Dublin. Bakat teknis di Irlandia juga terbukti menjadi sumber daya kami... Fakta menyenangkan: kamui menjadi eksporter Irlandia terbesar." Intel membuka pabrik chip pertama di Irlandia pada 1993. James Jarrett, wakil presiden Intel, mengatakan mereka tertarik banyaknya orang berpendidikan di Irlandia, pajak korporasi yang rendah, dan insentif lain yang membuat Intel menghemat miliaran dolar selama lebih 10 tahun. Program kesehatan nasional juga tidak merugikan. "Kami memiliki 4.700 karyawan di empat pabrik dan kami malah merancang chip tercanggih di Shannon dengan insinyur Irlandia," katanya. Pada 1990, angkatan kerja Irlandia adalah 1,1 juta. Tahun ini mencapai 2 juta, tanpa ada penganggur, dan 200 ribu pekerja asing (termasuk 50 ribu Cina). Negara lain memperhatikan. Perdana Menteri Bertie Ahern mengatakan, "Saya bertemu perdana menteri Cina lima kali dalam dua tahun terakhir." Nasehat Irlandia sangat sederhana: Buat agar pendidikan menengah dan tinggi gratis; buat pajak korporasi rendah, sederhana, dan transparan; aktif mencari perusahaan global; buka ekonomi untuk kompetisi; berbicara bahasa Inggris; ciptakan kebijakan fiskal yang tertib; dan ciptakan konsensus keseluruhan paket ini dengan buruh dan manajemen--dan setia di sana karena Anda juga bisa menjadi engara terkaya di Eropa. "Ini bukan keajaiban, kami tidak menemukan emas," kata Mary Harney. "Ini kebijakan domestik yang tepat dan percaya globalisasi." By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN The New York Times Published: June 29, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/opinion/29friedman.html?hp Here's something you probably didn't know: Ireland today is the richest country in the European Union after Luxembourg. Yes, the country that for hundreds of years was best known for emigration, tragic poets, famines, civil wars and leprechauns today has a per capita G.D.P. higher than that of Germany, France and Britain. How Ireland went from the sick man of Europe to the rich man in less than a generation is an amazing story. It tells you a lot about Europe today: all the innovation is happening on the periphery by those countries embracing globalization in their own ways - Ireland, Britain, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe - while those following the French-German social model are suffering high unemployment and low growth.   Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times More Columns by Thomas L. Friedman Forum: Thomas L. Friedman's Columns Ireland's turnaround began in the late 1960's when the government made secondary education free, enabling a lot more working-class kids to get a high school or technical degree. As a result, when Ireland joined the E.U. in 1973, it was able to draw on a much more educated work force. By the mid-1980's, though, Ireland had reaped the initial benefits of E.U. membership - subsidies to build better infrastructure and a big market to sell into. But it still did not have enough competitive products to sell, because of years of protectionism and fiscal mismanagement. The country was going broke, and most college grads were emigrating. "We went on a borrowing, spending and taxing spree, and that nearly drove us under," said Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney. "It was because we nearly went under that we got the courage to change." And change Ireland did. In a quite unusual development, the government, the main trade unions, farmers and industrialists came together and agreed on a program of fiscal austerity, slashing corporate taxes to 12.5 percent, far below the rest of Europe, moderating wages and prices, and aggressively courting foreign investment. In 1996, Ireland made college education basically free, creating an even more educated work force. The results have been phenomenal. Today, 9 out of 10 of the world's top pharmaceutical companies have operations here, as do 16 of the top 20 medical device companies and 7 out of the top 10 software designers. Last year, Ireland got more foreign direct investment from America than from China. And overall government tax receipts are way up. "We set up in Ireland in 1990," Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer, explained to me via e-mail. "What attracted us? [A] well-educated work force - and good universities close by. [Also,] Ireland has an industrial and tax policy which is consistently very supportive of businesses, independent of which political party is in power. I believe this is because there are enough people who remember the very bad times to de-politicize economic development. [Ireland also has] very good transportation and logistics and a good location - easy to move products to major markets in Europe quickly." Finally, added Mr. Dell, "they're competitive, want to succeed, hungry and know how to win. ... Our factory is in Limerick, but we also have several thousand sales and technical people outside of Dublin. The talent in Ireland has proven to be a wonderful resource for us. ... Fun fact: We are Ireland's largest exporter." Intel opened its first chip factory in Ireland in 1993. James Jarrett, an Intel vice president, said Intel was attracted by Ireland's large pool of young educated men and women, low corporate taxes and other incentives that saved Intel roughly a billion dollars over 10 years. National health care didn't hurt, either. "We have 4,700 employees there now in four factories, and we are even doing some high-end chip designing in Shannon with Irish engineers," he said. In 1990, Ireland's total work force was 1.1 million. This year it will hit two million, with no unemployment and 200,000 foreign workers (including 50,000 Chinese). Others are taking notes. Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said: "I've met the premier of China five times in the last two years." Ireland's advice is very simple: Make high school and college education free; make your corporate taxes low, simple and transparent; actively seek out global companies; open your economy to competition; speak English; keep your fiscal house in order; and build a consensus around the whole package with labor and management - then hang in there, because there will be bumps in the road - and you, too, can become one of the richest countries in Europe. "It wasn't a miracle, we didn't find gold," said Mary Harney. "It was the right domestic policies and embracing globalization." Komunitas Urang Sunda --> http://www.Urang-Sunda.or.id YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS  Visit your group "urangsunda" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.