EDITORIAL - Possibilities in Mr Vaz's assignment

ANDREW HOLNESS gets few bonus marks for either new or creative thinking for his Cabinet, especially after the suspense he contrived over its announcement.

It may be a legitimate argument, though, that what Mr Holness has put in place is a holding administration, given that he is likely, in short order, to call a general election, rather than wait until towards the end of 2012 when, constitutionally, he would be required to go to the voters. This would allow the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to take advantage of its bump in support since the resignation of its former leader, Bruce Golding, and the rise of Mr Holness. The prime minister's caution notwithstanding, Mr Holness created a new cabinet portfolio which, if the incumbent is thoughtful and creative - and given time - can be of significant value to Jamaica.

We refer to the naming of Mr Daryl Vaz, the former minister with responsibility for information and special projects in the Office of the Prime Minister, to take charge of telecommunications and public-sector efficiency. Mr Vaz will still operate from the Office of the Prime Minister, supposedly giving him proximity to Mr Holness.

Questionable motives?

There are questions, though, as to whether Mr Vaz will really have the prime minister's ear, given the recent tensions between both men over the latter's early, open and unrepentant declaration of his wish to succeed Mr Golding. There is the suspicion, too, that Mr Vaz's reassignment was driven, in part, by a wish to remove a perceived gadfly from being the primary spokesman for the Government.

Personalities apart, a specific focus on public-sector efficiency would, in the norm, suggest that the administration is serious about disentangling government bureaucracy and creating a business-friendly environment. Or, as Mr Holness put it, "converting red tape into red carpet".

Indeed, assuming that he genuinely has the PM's support, Mr Vaz has a wide context from which to approach this assignment. He should start with the long-standing inability of the Jamaican economy to create sufficient jobs to satisfy its workforce. That problem has grown worse - and not only because of the global recession.

In the World Economic Forum's latest Global Competitiveness Report, Jamaica slipped 12 places - to 107 among 142 countries - as a place with a competitive environment for doing business. This ranking was, in part, influenced by the poor state of the macroeconomy.

Poor rating all around

We, however, didn't do much better in the World Bank's Doing Business Report in which Jamaica slipped three spots, to rank at 88, among 183 countries. This report measures the ease of doing business.

We rated poorly in areas such as paying taxes, registering property, enforcing contracts and generally navigating government bureaucracy. All such surveys report a high perception of public-sector corruption in Jamaica. Many ministers have paid lip service to reform but have delivered little, having been either defeated or co-opted by the bureaucracy.

In a way, this assignment is timely, coinciding with the public-sector transformation project, which we expect to be owned by the minister with responsibility for the public service, Mr Arthur Williams. But that job should intersect with Mr Vaz's efficiency drive.

Both men will operate from the Office of the Prime Minister which, with Mr Holness at the centre, should be good for the coordination of efforts.