Nadamo da ima pametnijih ljudi u Hrvatskoj, koji nece

Postovani:
Citajuci ovu zalosnu rubriku od Dra. Davora Sliskovica, ironicnim osmjehom sam se sjetio one nase stare poslovice: "Ispeci, pa reci".

Mislim u svakom slucaju da je Dr. Sliskovic prenaglio u svom slabom pokusu na ironicno pisanje. Ako misli da se njegova ironija krije, onda se gadno vara, i jos losije pise, pa zato ne mislim da je doktor hrvatske knjizevnosti. A ako misli za ozbiljno to sto pise, onda se pitam kakav je to nadri-doktor, jer ocito veze s ekonomijom nema.

Naime, ima jedna pouka u englesom poslovnom leksikonu, a to je "Doing the same old things gets the same old results", sto u slobodnom prijevodu bi doslo nekako "Ponavljanje starih istih metoda dovodi samo do starih istih rezultata". Jest da je ovaj sastanak Grupe 100 bio u velikoj mjeri amaterski proveden. Jest da su neke poruke od govornika prema Hrvatskoj vladi bile malo cudne, pa, rekao bih, kao jedan od prisutnih, cak i ne na mjestu. Jest da se isti srot vrtio opet i opet i opet, kao sto navodi Dr. Sliskovic.

Medjutim, IPAK SE NESTA PROBALO UCINITI!

Jest da se radi i dalje u Hrvatskoj -- hvala Bogu! Ali kako uspjesno? I s kakvim povoljnim uvjetima, sto se tice SVJETSKOG poduzetnistva? Naime, svaki normalni poduzetnik vaze kriterije bilo koje investicije: koliko rizika i truda, prema koliko ocekivanome dobitu? To je, na kraju, poduzetnistvo, a ne dobrovoljno davanje! Ako je manje riskantno i vise profitabilno praviti gumene cizme u Aljaski nego u Brazilu, sta mislite gdje ce Brazilijanac otvoriti tvornicu cizma? Pa nema veze koliko voli plaze i sunce i toplinu, odgovor poduzetnika je u svakom slucaju jasan.

Zato mislim da je Dr. Sliskovic gadno fulao metu, jer uopce nije shvatio srz poruke iz tog sastanka. Ja sam samo sitna riba, i negovorim uime Grupe 100, ali budite uvjereni da su u Clevelandu bili ljudi koji su ukupno teski valjda cetvrtinu hrvatskog BDPa! A ti ljudi su samo probali, mada mozda na nekorektan i nediplomatski nacin, da kazu, punim srcem: "Mi hocemo i sa nasom domovinom Hrvatskom poslovati, i njenoj ekonimiji pomoci, kao sto i pomazemo ekonomije raznih zemalja svijeta gdje poslujemo, ali prije se mora prag malo pomesti, da budu uvijeti za poduzetnistvo atraktivni kao i drugdje po svijetu." Pa na kraju to nisu bili diplomati, nego poduzetnici, koji nisu placeni po tome koliko govora odrze, vec po tome koliko profita naprave. A dobili smo veliku nadu u Clevelandu uz prisustvo zaista odanih ljudi Hrvatske vlade, kao sto su bili Ministri Suker, Kalmeta, Cobankovic, i Vukelic, a i ostali, da se poruka, iako mozda nenajbolje porucena, ipak u pravom konstruktivnom smislu primila.

Pa sto misli Dr. Sliskovic, zasto su, kako kaze, "nasi domaci poslovni ljudi odavno [...] zaboravili postavljati zahtjeve"? Ja bih rekao da je slicno odgovoru zasto magarac prestane trzati na batinu, kada ga se bije koliko se hoce, a on se nekrece. Jasno! Zato jer se naviknuo batini! Ali pitajmo se da li mu je zaista lijepo? Ili je samo odlucio primati batine, jer mu je to lakse nego vleci teret?

Pitam se da li je Dr. Sliskovic ikada imao svoju firmu, i probao baratati birokracijom, korupcijom, i ludo-sudstvom? Ja, iako sam imao samo malo priliku vidjeti na svoje oci kakve su pripreke u Hrvatskoj vrijednim, radnim, poslovnim ljudima, ipak tvrdim da oni nisu ni u najmonajoj ruci sretni sa situacijom u kojoj rade, vec, dapace, su, kao onaj magarac, nauceni na "batine" birokracije, korupcije, i ostalog, i naucili su raditi unatoc toga. Pa mi se uvijek snadjemo! Ali koliko bismo mogli naprijedovati da umjesto da se borimo protiv birokracije i korupcije, borimo se protiv konkurenata na svijetskom trzistu?!

Ako Hrvatska sada uzme stav kojeg Dr. Sliskovic neshvatljivo zakljucuje, pa da za uzvrat vikne Grupi 100 neka samo stoji gdje je i ceka, onda mozemo zaliti Hrvatsku, jer ce se samo dalje valjati u istom ekonomskom mulju iz kojeg nemoze sama van. Pa koliko puta moramo cuti od koliko ljudi, SIROM SVIJETA, "Da je u Hrvatskoj kako bi trebalo biti, mi bi bili druga Svicarska!"??

"Da je?" A tko sprijecava da je, nego narod sam, kroz svoju ekonomsku politiku?!

I to je sve sto je, po mom misljenju, Grupa 100 probala reci. Da ona, kolektivno, ima visoko poslovno iskustvo, i zeli samo Hrvatskoj pomoci. A ako Hrvatska zeli biti ohola i odbiti pomoc poslovnih ljudi koji ipak daleko vise znaju, e pa onda neka se dalje valja. Medjutim, mi rodoljubi u diaspori se ipak nadamo da ima pametnijih ljudi u Hrvatskoj, koji nece pokusani poljubac vracati pljuskom.

S postovanjem.

Steve Pozgaj

Subject: Slobodna Dalmacija:Poruke Grupe 100

Poruke Grupe 100
http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/20040722/kolumne01.asp
Dr. Davor SLISKOVIC
Kao sto znamo, u Clevelandu su se krajem lipnja sastali uspjesni poslovni ljudi hrvatskog podrijetla da razmotre problematiku ulaganja u starome kraju. Ne treba trositi rijeci na isticanje znacenja ovoga skupa, a niti na protokolarne carke zbog nedolaska ovoga ili onoga. Ono sto svakako treba zaokupiti nasu paznju jesu poruke koje nam salju nasi uspjesnici. Ne treba sumnjati u ispravnost tih poruka jer ih salju ljudi koji su uspjeli i koji znaju dobro prosudjivati. Ne treba sumnjati ni u dobronamjernost tih poruka jer ih salju nasi ljudi koji nama zele dobro.
Sve to nas unaprijed obvezuje da odaslane poruke pazljivo saslusamo, da ih shvatimo, da o njima dobro razmislimo i da, konacno, pocnemo stvari mijenjati.
Dakle, clanovi buduce Grupe 100 porucuju nam da ako zelimo vidjeti njihove investicije i poslovnu suradnju moramo:
- poboljsati uvjete za investicije i poslovanje
- ukloniti birokratske prepreke ulaganju i poslovanju
- smanjiti opterecenja poslodavaca
- smanjiti poreze i doprinose za radnu snagu
- stvoriti ucinkovito sudstvo slobodno od korupcije
- srediti zemljisne knjige.
Slozit cemo se, kratko i jasno su navedene sve rak-rane koje prijece sva strana ulaganja, pa i ona nasih uspjesnih iseljenika. Pozitivan pomak na svakom od ovih podrucja ucinit ce Hrvatsku atraktivnijom za strana ulaganja i vjerojatno poboljsati njezin kreditni rejting.
Ali, zar mi sve to nismo i sami znali i prije poruka Grupe 100? Pa sigurno da jesmo, i to poodavno. Pa opet nista nismo uradili, ili tek nesto malo. Tako dolazimo do tocke na kojoj se moramo zapitati: je li mi ne znamo kako provesti potrebne reforme i korekcije ili pak mi to ne mozemo provesti ili, sto bi bilo najgore, mi to ne zelimo.
Koji god odgovor bio tocan, nije dobro i osudjuje nas na tavorenje umjesto krupnih razvojnih iskoraka. S obzirom na nasa dosadasnja iskustva u pomicanju stvari naprijed, pomalo cudi ali istovremeno i veseli procjena jednog od inicijatora Grupe 100 da ce za provedbu reformi trebati 5 do 7 godina. Mozda nesvjesno, ali ovim je dana i procjena roka u kojem ne mozemo ocekivati krupnije gospodarske zamahe, pa ma koliko ih politicari obecavali u svojim populistickim tiradama. Ja na ovaj rok pristajem odmah, ali me ipak muci pitanje sto ce se to sada dogoditi da mi zaista otpocnemo s mijenjanjem stvari, a sto smo propustali ciniti puste godine. Vjerojatno prije nismo htjeli, a sada cemo naglo poceti htjeti, pa cemo i znati, pa cemo i moci. Zivi bili pa vidjeli.
Poruke Grupe 100 o potrebnim reformama navele su na jos neka razmisljanja o poduzetnistvu u Hrvatskoj. Dakle, uvjeti su losi. Losiji nego u drugim zemljama prema kojima kapital tece. Toliko su losi da i nasi ljudi koji su uspjeli vani uvjetuju svoja ulaganja promjenom stanja. Pa jesmo li onda svjesni kakvu muku muce hrvatski poduzetnici koji unatoc svemu ovdje ulazu i ovdje posluju? Ne bi li najprije radi ovih domacih poduzetnika trebalo provesti reforme koje nasi iseljenici postavljaju kao uvjet svojih buducih ulaganja?
Ti nasi domaci poslovni ljudi odavno su zaboravili postavljati zahtjeve, a u Hrvatskoj posluju unatoc losim uvjetima za investicije i poslovanje, unatoc birokratskim preprekama, unatoc visokom opterecenju poslodavaca, unatoc visokim porezima i doprinosima, unatoc neucinkovitom sudstvu, unatoc nesredjenim zemljisnim knjigama, i unatoc kojecemu drugome. Pa koji su to onda domoljubi i heroji poduzetnistva! Oni nista ne uvjetuju, snalaze se i funkcioniraju. Budu li oni krenuli s kojekakvim inicijativama i postavljanjem zahtjeva, morat ce pozvati ministre, postaviti zahtjeve i uvjete i onda osnovati najmanje Grupu 200. Pa nek´ se zna.
Dotad, cini se, Grupi 100 bi bilo najbolje da stoji gdje je i da priceka.

 

Tragicna Sudbina ukradenih Hrvatskih Lipicanca

Tragicna sudbina hrvatskih lipicanaca: kako to vlast stiti nacionalne interese
Zahvaljujem Vjesniku da je 12. srpnja prenio informaciju iz Dnevnika (SCG) – ťPovratak lipicanaca jos uvijek upitanŤ. Istodobno sam vrlo revoltiran i zgrazam se kako nasa vlast i diplomacija stite nacionalne interese i dobra.
U tom izvodu tvrdi se: ťIzaslanstvo hrvatskog Ministarstva poljoprivrede slozilo se da podmladak lipicanaca ostane u Srbiji i spremno je za svako mlado grlo izdati valjan rodovnik..., kao posebnu pogodnost ponudilo je posredovanje pri uclanjivanju Srbije u Medjunarodnu federaciju uzgajivaca lipicanaca...Ť
Nad nasim konjima lipicancima u Lipiku izvrsen je tezak ratni zlocin, podudaran s ostalim srpskim zlocinima nad ljudima, imovinom i kulturnim blagom u proteklom ratu. Ubijali su te najplemenitije zivotinje, a prezivjele su gonili preko Bosne u Srbiju kao ratni kriminalni plijen. Sada nad tim zlocinom glume dobrocinitelje kojima treba pripasti neka naknada, priznanje i medjunarodna afirmacija.
Sto je najgore, to im se, u neku ruku, nudi od legitimnog vlasnika zrtava, umjesto zahtjeva za naknadu cjelokupne stete te povratak ukupnog stada u svim generacijskim skupinama i progona onih koji su to zlocinacko djelo pocinili. Temeljem cega tamo neki uzurpatori ili razbojnici mogu glumiti vlasnike stada koje je ugrabljeno kao ratni plijen u zlocinu.
Zanimljivo bi bilo znati sto je poduzela nasa vlast u povodu tog kriminalnog djela kod Medjunarodne federacije uzgajivaca lipicanaca. Vjerojatno nista, kad se Srbi nadaju cak potpori Hrvatske za uclanjenjem u tu organizaciju temeljem tog kriminalnog djela. Bojim se da je slicno i s utjerivanjem svih ostalih ratnih steta, sto moze zavrsiti ohrabrujuce za agresora, moze opet naci razloge za pljackaske, razarajuce i druge zlocine prema susjedima.
Slucaj hrvatskih lipicanaca na najosjetljiviji nacin pokazuje nesposobnost nasih vlada da shvate i brane interese i prava hrvatskoga naroda i drzave kao zrtve surove i zlocinacke agresije.
IVAN PAJ
Zagreb

 

Town and Country Travel

To:info@butterfield.com
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004
Subject: Town and Country article about Croatia

Director of Traveling
Butterfield and Robinson
Toronto, Canada

Dear Sir:

In the June issue of Town and Country Travel was a very nice article by
John Cantrell describing his hiking and biking experience on Croatia's
Dalmatian coast, arranged by your company. I was surprised to read that
your company suggested to the trip's participants who might be interested
in the history of Croatia to read the book by Robert Kaplan "Balkan
Ghosts" and Rebecca West's "Black Lamb and Grey Falcon". These books say
very little about Croatia' history and as both authors are known
serbophiles their information reflects their thinking.

I would respectfully ask that you change this by suggesting some far more
informative books about the history of Croatia, such as Marcus Tanner's
"Croatia, a Nation forged in War" or "A History of Croatia" by Stephen
Gazi. Also, there is an excellent travel guide book "Croatia" by
Eyewitness Travel Guides ("The Guides That Show You What Others Only Tell
You") which features all pertinent facts about the country, including its
1000+ years of history and hundreds of pictures and maps. I believe for
the average traveler, that one would be the very best choice.

Sincerely,

Hilda M. Foley
13272 Orange Knoll
Santa Ana, Ca 92705
714-832-0289

From: "Muriel Truter" muriel@butterfield.com
To: <hmfgsf@juno.com>
Cc: "Susan Baldwin" susan@butterfield.com ,
"Jess Cook" jess@butterfield.com
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004
Subject: FW: Town and Country article about Croatia

Dear Hilda,

Thank you for recommending some alternative books on Croatia and it's
history. We will definitely consider them - it is always good to have
perspectives from many different voices. The Eyewitness guide books are
brilliant - I had not seen one on Croatia but will look for it now.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us - I will check out your
recommendations and add them to our reading list.

Sincerely,

Muriel Truter
Director, By Sea Programme
Butterfield & Robinson
Active Trips Around the World

1-800-678-1147 or (416) 864-1354
Fax: (416) 864-0541
muriel.truter@butterfield.com 
www.butterfield.com
 
Op-ed
Shower them with compliments
NB

Article in The Scotsman

I sent this e-mail to Mr. Stephen's address but it did not go through, so
I accessed The Scotsman's web site directly, where I was able to type my
letter again, which was received.

The Scotsman
CStephen@scotsman.com 
July 7, 2004

Dear Mr. Stephen,

Reading your article "Prosecutors to blame for their own headache"
regarding the ICTY prosecution of Slobodan Milosevic, I find some of your
statements disturbing. You wrote that "Milosevic had no official
link to Serb forces in what were separate countries, Croatia and Bosnia".
This is not correct. Milosevic ordered the Yugoslav army into Croatia and
later Bosnia not only because he did not recognize their declarations of
independence and secession from Yugoslavia, which was their right
according to the Yugoslav constitution of 1974, but to support with the
army and ammunition the rebellion of the ethnic Serbs and paramilitary,
in order to achieve the goal of "Greater Serbia". It certainly gave him
the green light when the United States Secretary of State Baker visited
and expressed the support for holding Yugoslavia together.

A great number of Serb documents seized in 1995 during Croatia's
liberation of the Serb occupied region of Krajina and Slavonija testify
to that fact. The three Serb officers indicted by the ICTY for the
destruction of Croatia's city of Vukovar and murder of over 200 hospital
patients in the fields of nearby Ovcara are Yugoslav officers from
Serbia. So were the officers and the admiral who were destroying
Dubrovnik and its entire region. There is no question that as the ICTY
prosecutors insist, Milosevic was the center of all the Balkan wars of
the 1990s.

Sincerely,

Hilda Marija Foley
National Federation of Croatian Americans
13272 Orange Knoll
Santa Ana, CA 92705, USA

 

Letter to the Editor of the Washington Post

Dear Editor,

While attempting to provide an objective report from Mostar, Bosnia ("Bridge over still-troubled waters rises anew in split Bosnian city" Thur, July 22) reporter Daniel Williams fails to provide a completely clear picture of today's Bosnia.

Mostar is the only city in Bosnia today where western democratic values and procedures have been totally disregarded by the current OHR, Paddy Ashdown. In all other Bosnian cities, such as Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Tuzla, etc - the majority rules and democracy prevails, just like in the United States. Not so in Mostar. It's bad enough that the Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Islamic (Muslim) communities have chased out over two thirds of the remaining Bosnian Croats from Bosnia since 1992 - but now Croats have been denied democracy in the one city where they remain in majority. Ashdown's exhortations about it's his way or "it's back to war" hide his failure to govern by basic democratic norms.

Furthermore, throughout Bosnia, Ashdown has allowed the Bosnian Serbs and Muslims to teach their own children in their own language in public schools, but has denied this basic human right for the Bosnian Croat community. Bosnian Croat parents rightfully protested in Mostar when they could not have their children taught in their own language - and not a language constructed by Islamic bureaucrats based in Sarajevo.

The Bosnian Croat community is the minority community in Bosnia today. Before pointing the finger at this minority - Daniel Williams might do well to re-examine the Dayton Peace Agreement, which supposedly protects the basic rights of all citizens of Bosnia.

Anthony Margan
4433 31st Street South, #202
Arlington, VA 22206
 

Mostar bridge - Published letter in Independent by Brian Gallagher

The Independent, Letters 26 July 2004

http://argument.independent.co.uk/letters/story.jsp?story=544658

Mostar bridge

Sir: It is good news that Mostar's Old Bridge has been
rebuilt (report, 23 July). However, problems remain.
Mostar now has a small Croat majority. Bosnia's High
Representative, Lord Ashdown, recently imposed on
Mostar a political system where no ethnic majority
could take control.

This would be a good idea if applied to all of
Bosnia's towns such as Muslim-controlled Sarajevo or
Serb-controlled Banja Luka. But it will not be. By
effectively discriminating against the Croats in such
a manner, Lord Ashdown has simply ensured that
tensions in Mostar will remain for many years to come.

BRIAN GALLAGHER
London

 

Reply to Ulster bigots on Croatia

Dear All,
this letter from the Irish News, with which I have been in touch
previously, shows how worthwhile it is to give reporters background
regarding recent (or older) Croatian history. As you can see, they used
it well.
Best, Hilda

From: irishnews@hushmail.com
To: hmfgsf@juno.com
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004
Subject: Re: Reply to Ulster bigots on Croatia
The following is a letter of response sent to Iain Paisley and chums
(Ulster Unionist Leader and notorious anti-Catholic):
......................................................................

In response to the article ‘Ethnic Cleansing must be condemned’ which
features on the European Institute for Protestant Studies web site:
http://www.ianpaisley.org/article.asp?ArtKey=ethnic

The ‘illegally declared’ Croatian independence mentioned in your article
was when 94% of the Croatian people voted for independence in a
referendum.
The subsequent aggression by the Serb-dominated Yugoslav army against
Croatia in response to this however, was in clear violation of the 1974
constitution which recognized the right of each of Yugoslavia's six
constituent
republics to secede from the federation.

In 1991, Rebel-Serbs extremists in the Krajina region annexed one third
of the country having ethnically cleansed, deported or killed virtually
all the 80,000 non-Serb population. Milan Babic, Croatian-Serb leader
stated to the judges at his recent trial in relation to these crimes
that: “he stood before them with a deep sense of shame and remorse for
his part in the murder and persecution of thousands of non-Serbs in a
plot to create a new Serb-dominated state on one-third of Croatian
territory.”

Whilst the Croatian army was reclaiming territory previously illegally
seized by Serb nationalist extremists; the Croatian-Serb President Milan
Martic, whom you complain was declared a ‘war criminal,’ was in fact
declared so for having ordered retaliatory ‘cluster bomb’ attacks on
three Croatian cities, including Zagreb, which killed and maimed
civilians.

Your alleged “thousands of Serbs killed in cold blood” differs somewhat
from actual Serbian sources. On 05/01/2004 Glas Srpski (Serbian Voice)
reported 283 people had been killed or gone missing in Operation Flash,
which had been previously confirmed by the Association of Croatian Serbs
at their 6th anniversary in Banja Luka on May 2nd 2001, which was
reported
by Agence France Presse. Whilst any death, regardless of ethnicity is
tragic, combined with those from Operation Storm, recorded Serb deaths
in relation to these two operations roughly approximate a total of 433.

Your allegation that “200,000 Serbs were ethnically cleansed by Croatian
forces” is incorrect. The aforementioned President Milan Martic ordered
the Krajina Serbs evacuation, which was confirmed in ‘Politika’ 23rd
August 1995. In addition, as previously stated by Jerry Blaskovitch in
‘Anatomy of Deceit’, these civilians departed in an orderly fashion with
most of their belongings – unlike their previous non-Serb neighbours
who were lucky to escape at all.

Your allegations that deceased Croatian President Franjo Tudjman was
a ‘holocaust revisionist and Hitler apologist’ are false. Many historians
now acknowledge that the majority of Fascist allegations against Tudjman
originated from Serb propaganda. Numerous intellectuals of Jewish descent
throughout the world have also shown that accusing Tudjman of
anti-Semitism
is unfounded. Tudjman’s anti-fascism was made clear in his letter of
response to the allegations written to the US Congress dated January
21st 1992.

Your allegation that ‘Nazi Croatia is the most ethnically pure country
in Europe’ is also false. Croats compose 89.6% of the Croatian
population,
which is similar to Austria’s composition of ethnic Germans. Conversely,
Polish compose 97.6% and Icelandic 96% of their respective populations.
I also find it interesting that you fail to mention Serbia’s Nazi past.


You alleged that the “IRA has ethnically cleansed many thousands of
Protestants along the border with the Irish Republic” and quote an estimated 50-100,000.
The ‘border’ to which you refer of course, was, like the border to the
illegal Serb territory of Krajina, gerrymandered, artificial, and created
by a minority against the wishes of the majority of the country’s
population;
at the expense of both the indigenous population and others who opposed
its creation, many of whom were ethnically cleansed, murdered, tortured
and imprisoned. Your ‘estimated’ number of cleansed Protestants, whether
by the IRA or otherwise, is like your article in general - outrageous
and plainly untrue.

Your article is simply full of lies and bigotry and is a disgrace to
the genuine decent Protestant people out there, who we are fully aware
you in no way represent.

Yours sincerely,
Irish friends of Croatia.
C/45
 

Position opened at the International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Vacancy Information

Basics
Vacancy ID IFC-CSE-00008
Job Family Investment Title General Manager
Duty Country Bulgaria Duty City SOFIA
Date Posted 07/15/2004 Closing Date 08/01/2004
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Job Description
Background
International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group,
promotes sustainable private sector investments in developing countries as
a way to reduce poverty and improve people's lives. The BIDFacility is a
new IFC-managed and donor supported initiative designed to assist public
entities in attracting private participation and investment in
infrastructure development in South East Europe mainly though effective
public-private partnerships. The BIDFacility will cover private
infrastructure needs in water and sanitation, energy and transport sectors
in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, CROATIA, FYR Macedonia, Romania,
and Serbia and Montenegro.

Responsibilities
The principal duties of the General Manager will be to:

Delivery of BIDFacility services to its intended clients in an effective,
cost-efficient, and timely manner with due regard to the quality of
services;
Day-to-day management and supervision of the BIDFacility, its staff and its
resources and activities in full coordination with IFC regional as well as
infrastructure department;
Selection and hiring of staff to create a balanced, skilled team to
effectively deliver quality services for attracting private investment in
infrastructure, including through public-private partnerships (PPPs);
Leading, organizing and managing the BIDFacility's staff, including senior
international and/or local professional and administrative staff.
Demonstrating high standards of personal behavior, integrity, openness,
fairness and support and guidance in their work;
Business development to seek public sector clients willing to adopt private
sector solutions to infrastructure development, including through needs
assessment, advocacy, marketing and promotion, and consensus building;
Developing, building and maintaining close working relationships with
private sector infrastructure operators, investors, commercial and
investment banks, regional funds and other business entities important for
BIDFacility's effectiveness;
Building a visible presence of BIDFacility and its services in the region
through an effective PR and marketing campaign, participation in
conferences and seminars, and other suitable cost-effective means to ensure
good demand for BIDFacility services;
Operational decision making, including investment decisions, final project
selection, selection of outside professional services firm/consultants to
provide advisory services, final negotiations with public sector project
sponsors, and project investment and technical analysis;
Exercising oversight on all and final decision-making on all outside
professional services firms and/or consultants to ensure that such firms
adhere to the relevant policies and procedures of the IFC and that they
fulfill the contractual obligations of BIDFacility in implementing the
project development assistance;
Control all local expenditures against budgets and grants according to IFC
and donor guidelines;
Regular monitoring, evaluation and periodic reporting to the Donors
Oversight Committee through IFC senior management on the activities of the
facility, its impact and performance;
Maintain close working relations with IFC, World Bank, other multilateral
institutions in the region serviced by the BIDFacility;
Build and maintain close working relations with EU, the Stability Pact and
other European institutions to coordinate on regional projects and to
promote and contribute to regional cooperation efforts.


Selection Criteria
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:
Strong leadership skills.
Sound track record of effective people management and team building skills.
Thorough understanding of infrastructure investment analysis, project and
structured finance, with special emphasis on financial analysis,
transactions, documentation, due diligence and deal-making.
Significant practical experience in developing investment projects,
projects appraisal and project processing. Experience and background in the
infrastructure, engineering and construction, although not necessary, would
be an advantage, especially in the either of the water, transport or energy
sectors.
Professional and personal capacity to work effectively with the private
sector in infrastructure finance and with national, regional, and municipal
government officials and agencies in countries across South East Europe.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively within the bilateral donor
organizations, multilateral development banks, equity funds and commercial
lending institutions at all levels while building support and consensus to
achieve results.
Advanced degree(s) in finance, business, law, or other relevant discipline
from a recognized university.
Ability to identify and develop business opportunities, take initiative,
manage diversified assignments, travel extensively, and handle multiple
tasks with high energy level while maintaining calm under stressful
situations.
Ability to communicate effectively and diplomatically with senior officials
of government and senior managers of multilateral development banks,
investment banks, commercial lending institutions, and private investors.
Strong business, financial and portfolio management experience, including
transactions, marketing and negotiation skills.
This is an international hire. The appointee will report to Director for
Southern Europe and Central Asia Department and will also collaborate
closely with the Infrastructure and Corporate Advisory Services
Departments. This appointment is expected to have a duration of an initial
period of 2-3 years, renewable for an additional period of 2-3 years
depending on team and individual performance. The appointee will be
stationed in Sofia, Bulgaria.
http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/careers.nsf/7afae2a79a656e70ca25692100069831/64aac
21c3a13f92985256d6a00558877?OpenDocument

 

Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position

Tribal Wisdom

The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from generation to generation, says that, "When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount."

However, in government, education, and in corporate America, more advanced strategies are often employed, such as:

1. Buying a stronger whip.
2. Changing riders.
3. Appointing a committee to study the horse.
4. Arranging to visit other countries to see how other cultures ride horses.
5. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.
6. Reclassifying the dead horse as living-impaired.
7. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.
8. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase speed.
9. Providing additional funding and/or training to increase
dead horse's performance.
10. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would
improve the dead horse's performance.
11. Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed,
it is less costly, carries lower overhead and therefore
contributes substantially more to the bottom line of the
economy than do some other horses.
12. Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses.

And of course my favorite...

13. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position

Cover story in the most recent issue of VOICES Magazine

Dear Nenad and CROWN readers, I am pleased to have been selected as the subject for the cover story in the most recent issue of VOICES Magazine, a Publication of SMC's
Women's College.

http://www.smc.edu/voices/fea_artists/pozniak.htm

www.smc.edu/voices

I am also pleased to let you know about my roles in two recent film
projects: "Cyxork" a comedy dir. by John Huff to be released this fall
and "Freedom From Despair" a documentary that I co-narrated with
Michael York and John Savage.

Best,

Beata Pozniak Daniels
www.beata.com