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Volume 27, Issue 1, July 29, 2004

Opinion

Positive publicity overlooked

Bryan Goodland
Bryan Goodland
Columnist

As the Democratic rally cry continues to be heard and news of the war is an ever present din, the Bush administration presses forward. Despite rumors to the contrary there is still much to be done in the world besides confronting terrorism and raising interest rates. Fortunately the current administration is doing just that.

On Tuesday July 13, 2004 President Bush signed into law legislation that would extend a trade agreement the US currently has with Africa. Of all the various places that the US trades with, Africa is often on the most neglected list, at least economically speaking.

They don’t have the high profile that the Middle East enjoys, or the immense production power of the Far East, but luckily that has not left them ignored by the Bush administration.

I will be the first in line to admit that not everything that the current president and his people have done is beyond reproach, but this piece of legislation seems like a good idea. Basically what this does is offer trade opportunities for those countries in sub Saharan Africa. As a direct result it offers a boost to the African economy and further opportunity for American businesses to invest in Africa.

All of this sounds good and seems to be working. For instance in 2003 according to the office of the US Trade, $14 billion in imports came to the US, and US investment was at $8.9 billion in 2002. The extension that President Bush signed into law will hopefully find these numbers on the rise at this time next year.

President Bush also tipped his hat to the humanitarians by mentioning the need for the killing in Sudan to come to an end. Bush’s call for a humanitarian end to the violence is a much needed spotlight on what has become a barely visible dot on the world news radar.

Africa seems to be the forgotten child when it comes to aid and support from countries around the world, including the US. It’s unfortunate that just because a country doesn’t have a high economic global profile that they are left at the wings of the global theatre.

Hopefully Bush’s comments and his signature will renew hope for Africa and will usher them into the global economy that everyone else has enjoyed and taken for granted for so long.

With the continual onslaught of negative press against an administration that seems to be a target for virtually everyone with a pen, it is unfortunate that the positive stories end up on the last page. I agree that any administration should be subjected to the relentless eyes of a free press, but they should also be granted fair time when it comes to positive publicity.