Dow Jones on the road to Damascus
February 18, 2006
Syrians will undoubtedly remember Mohamed Al Imadi, the man who was Minister of Economy for years on end. I distinctly remember watching Syrian television one evening in Damascus to follow an interview with Imadi and the Minister of Finance, whose name escapes me right now. I was astonished to hear Imadi explain to viewers that ownership of a house or a car was a luxury! In other words, they were nothing we average Syrians really needed; we could all simply enjoy watching regime and government officials parade their luxuries in front of us and imagine the feeling.
Well, this paragon of economic vision has now been put at the head of a "board" (we all know it's really a "commission" - damn the Baathists and their numerous useless commissions) to establish and oversee the formation of a Syrian stock exchange.
What's the rush? Surely a liberal economy is a mere luxury. By the time we get to the Executive Instructions (imposed by the Syrian regime to render the already pathetically incomprehensible laws even more confusing), maybe the commission will realize that it takes a lot more than getting premises and ringing a bell, and that they may need to rethink the position of the horse vis- à-vis the cart.
Still, in anticipation of this giant leap, I herewith declare open and active the "Commission to Make Suggestions for the Name of the Damascus Stock Exchange Indicator" (hoping they will at least consider submissions that start with letters other than A).
