To quote a few of the statistics: •  Real GDP growth has averaged close to 9 percent since 2002;  •  per capita income has more than doubled from $ to $  •  unemployment has been halved from 10.4 percent in 2002 to under 5 percent;  •  the public debt ratio has also been halved to about 30 percent of GDP while;  •  our net international reserve position has risen from $ billion to $ billion.
Of course, the current economic success has not been without its downside. Specifically, the economic boom has been accompanied by a pick up in inflation to close to double digits; real estate prices continue to soar, notwithstanding concerted efforts by the Government to increase the supply of houses; and rapid growth has brought to the forefront serious capacity constraints ….