Government Not in Competition With Private Sector, Says Prime Minister

Doha, May 31 (QNA) - HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani Tuesday evening told a gathering of Qatar's business community that the government sector is not in competition with private sector companies and the focus is on serving the interest of the majority of citizens.
"Our objective is that the majority of citizens should benefit from the policies. Our first priority is the middle class Qatari who is an employee and not a trader," the Prime Minister said.
He said this during a question and answer session today at the fifth Consultative Annual Meeting with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI), the forum for the private sector.
HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Emiri Diwan, Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah and senior ministers were in attendance at the meeting which featured Qatar's top businessmen and women.
We are in a free market today which calls for quality products and services which are competitively priced. Monopoly business practices must end and traders must adapt to the changing business environment, the Premier said.
He reiterated that the government, under the leadership of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is keen to serve the interest of the majority of the citizens.
The Premier stressed that HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad's guidance and initiatives on sustainable development had propelled Qatar on the path of economic prosperity, a fact endorsed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its annual report, he said.
Qatar is poised on the threshold of an unprecedented renaissance in development with major infrastructure projects. The country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) projected to grow 20% this fiscal year on the confidence of the biggest budget in the country's history, he said.
With Qatar winning the bid to host the FIFA World Cup football in 2022 there will be a fresh cycle of economic activity which will engage all sectors with Public Private Partnerships as well as the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), he said.
The Premier allayed fears of the business community saying, "We are in the process of optimizing the private sector with such giant projects. The private sector should consider alliances to increase their viability and competitiveness."
We are ready to listen to the voice of the business community with transparency. It is about integration and not competition, he said..
Earlier, the QCCI Chairman HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammad Al Thani welcomed HE the Prime Minister, attending ministers and members of Qatar's business fraternity.
Hailing the Chamber's role, Sheikh Khalifa said, "Our Chamber is one of the prominent Chambers in the world. It has played a role in the country's development and also taking up the problems of the private sector."