Sid-Ahmed Ghozali in an interview to <i>Liberte Algerie</i> published December 9 declares that privatization has become the order of the day but the government does not realize where this process will lead. He slammed the government for lacking economic vision and described the Algerian economy as still being a "bureaucratic economy."
Ghozali believes it is dangerous and counter productive trying to revolutionize such an economy so rapidly without a clear vision of where it will all lead.
The issue of privatization is a central theme in the press. On the one hand, there is immense international pressure to make the economy more efficient and realize its potential. On the other hand, there are many protected interests that have a great deal to lose by breaking down the old economic system and waiting for a new one to be created.
