Thursday, April 03, 2008 Editorial: Need for objectivity
HOW much of the reports and statements about the rice issue are true and how much are not?
How much of the assessments on the rice situation are objective and how much are not?
These questions need to be asked because we seem headed to a situation, which is dangerous, where mixed signals could lead to people’s worries and panic buying.
Rice is such an important commodity that talks about supply going scarce or prices shooting up easily whips up a frenzy that could snowball into anarchy.
Conflicting claims
Which is probably why officials of the Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority are going around assuring people the rice supply is stable.
Unfortunately for the Arroyo administration, its credibility has so plunged people either don’t believe what its officials are saying or want to double-check it first.
This is not helped any by conflicting claims of retailers about the rice supply.
Hoarding, destabilization
Situations like this should make unscrupulous rice traders and forces behind current destabilization efforts smile, that is, if they are not smiling already.
In a way, the Arroyo administration is correct in launching an aggressive drive against rice hoarders considering that they may have contributed to worries about the rice supply.
The rise in rice prices and reports of scarcity of rice supply in some areas can be partly attributed to hoarders wanting to cash in on people’s misery.
The political opposition, usually noisy on other issues against the Arroyo administration, is wisely reining in the urge to use the rice problem as a political issue.
No to panic
Still, it pays to remind everybody not to lose objectivity on the rice issue.
Every view must be analyzed and motives considered, every statement and information checked for its veracity and every rumor taken with a grain of salt.
The point is to remain calm and not jump to conclusions.
Panic is the last thing we want the current fuss about rice to lead to.
