Thank God, the end is near.
No, we are not subscribing to the doomsday theory that the world would end on December 21, 2012. That theory is discussed in the second Leader below.
We meant Year 2012, which has been different for different people.
To some it was as good as the best years of the past, while for others it was as bad as the end-of-the-world theory.
Much of the world remained under economic and financial stress.
The US economy continued to struggle, worsening the plight of ordinary Americans; more companies collapsed and more people lost their jobs.
The economies of India and China performed far below expectations.
New Zealand had its share of troubles, with more companies and people going offshore and more organisations going under foreign ownership or going bust.
Our negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with India remained stagnant, with no progress, despite the rhetoric in public domain.
As an official mentioned, “New Zealanders were talking more about it than Indians did in India.”
Despite despair, we continued to smile, because we are a nation of doers and optimists, with a strong will to succeed.
It is the ‘can and will do’ attitude that has kept us in good stead, despite suffering many disasters, the worst of which occurred in Christchurch and in Pike River last year. We mourned the loss of life and property of our brothers, sisters, friends and families but demonstrated to the world that we are a country of resilient people, nor surrendering our ambitions to destiny.
Thank God, Year 2012 will end in a fortnight.
What would the New Year be?
We would like to predict that 2013 would be a year of recovery, reconciliation, reconsolidation and rehabilitation. The world economy would get on to the path of recovery, contrary to the theories of skeptics and those who believe that we are in for a long spell of disasters.
In our own little world, we would do better as manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, retailers, education providers and so on. We will continue to attract foreign investors, students, migrants and tourists. We will also continue to lose our people going across the Tasman and across the world for better economic and social prospects.
We will retain political stability and sanity but continue to debate and disagree on sale of assets, amendment to Marriage Act, the way we treat Dotcom and a thousand other issues.
We will continue to speak about celebrating our cultural plurality, social partnership and community engagement.
We will do all of the above because talking is better than not saying anything.
Most important of all, we will remain as good New Zealanders as we have always been – with passion, compassion, respect, self-respect, the will to work and the will to succeed.
Just as every raindrop holds a flower, every moment of the New Year should spell peace, harmony and happiness.
