Government to Remove Bureaucracy Delaying Exports
Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Karl Samuda, has said that the Government is working to remove the bureaucracy and other associated challenges, which result in protracted delays in exports from Jamaica.
Speaking in the 2008/09 sectoral debate at Gordon House on May 13, Minister Saumda noted that according to a World Bank study on doing business, it takes up to 21 days for products to be exported from Jamaica, compared to five days in Singapore, six days in the United States, and nine days in Panama.
“Why can’t we in Jamaica, with a sophisticated financial sector, with a sophisticated infrastructure, why can’t we achieve the same result? It is our intention to reduce this bureaucracy that hampers business, not down to 15 days, but we are hoping to reduce this by 50 per cent, within the next two years, so that we can give business a chance to grow and develop. I know that this will be achieved through the co-operation of the Minister of Finance, and myself,” the Minister said.
Mr. Samuda contended that the bureaucracy resulted from what he described as the “question of doubt and the fear of scandals and corruption in public places.”
“We set up this bureaucracy to watch every single penny. You spend a pound to save a penny, because we have developed a culture of fear in the hearts of the public service, because of the notion that it is no longer acceptable to make honest mistakes. It is possible, and let me make it clear, that not every honest mistake is something that should turn into a threat to the persons involved,” he stressed.
The Minister was, however, quick to point out that government would not hesitate to “stamp out and eliminate…in a decisive way,” corruption. “Wherever there is any semblance of corruption within the public service, we must not hesitate, and we will not hesitate to stamp it out, and eliminate it in a very decisive way. But at the same time, there must be room for us to engage the process, so that we can feel more free within the public sector to take decisive actions without the fear that now grips the entire public sector,” he pointed out.
Mr. Samuda said that consequently, there is concern that the public service is grinding to a halt because public sector employees are paralyzed with fear.
“That structure is one that I know the Minister of Finance (and the Public Service) is labouring on every day, trying to find ways of improving the structure, so that we can free up the creative abilities of those who serve in our public sector, and be able to establish appropriate mechanisms by which they can be properly monitored, and will ensure that we do not have any outburst of corruption,” he said.
Mr. Samuda underscored the need to “place trust (in) and encourage key players within the public service to feel a sense of confidence in their professionalism, that they can discharge their duties in a responsible way.”
Addressing another matter, Mr. Samuda advised the House that in a bid to establish a business-solving facility in the Ministry, plans were afoot to re-engage the Facilitation Board, which seeks to address challenges facing businesses by bringing together all key stakeholders.
He pointed out that the Board was the forerunner to the Development Council, which was relocated to Jamaica House, pointing out that the latter was not structured to address problems facing businesses.
“The Development Council was never designed to deal with routine problems that affect business. These problems were to be solved at the Ministry level, so that when it goes up to the Development Council, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, only those very hard, difficult problems, reach that Council, where the players at the table can take decisive action under the direction of the Prime Minister,” Mr. Samuda said.