Jamaica needs strong, competent leadership

In all endeavours, one contends with strong points and weak links. In most cases, the strong points overcompensate for the weak. Regrettably, in Jamaica we seem to work diligently to make sure this is not the final outcome. Each day, political leaders and economists implore citizens to invest and create jobs. There is nothing more debilitating than doing business in this country, as it is hard to make any headway. Let me illustrate.

In 2009, an application for a subdivision development, lots only, was submitted with the professionals stating that all the requirements had been complied with. Months went by and there was no response. An inquiry with the professionals who prepared and submitted the application verified that all the requirements were met, but the system was slow to respond. More months went by, still nothing.

startling discovery

A visit to the parish council led to the startling discovery that the recording of the individual lot sizes was not done in the preferred manner. Not that it was wrong, but that is just not how it was normally done. This required corrections by the professionals once again at more cost. After numerous other inquiries and visits to here, there and everywhere these were finally approved in 2013. Four years, significant additional costs and bureaucratic bungling finally over.

The current status is an overseas person wants to engage in trade with a producer of one of Jamaica's significant agricultural produce. The Bureau of Standards has no applicable standard. You are on your own. JAMPRO and Jamaica Exporters' Association have differing approaches as to the solution. The investor has come to Jamaica, collected samples, returned to the country of origin, found that the product is acceptable, and placed an order for the first commercial shipment.

Poor communication

The Jamaican producer is at a loss as to how to make the process be satisfactorily completed. Calls to the relevant government offices are never successful. All the decision makers are perpetually at meetings. Leave a message, no return call. The producer cannot leave rural Jamaica to venture into Kingston with no hope of a resolution. Do we really want jobs and economic growth? Not to speak of the hard currency.

I have never heard of a bureaucratic logjam being offered as the reason for someone being fired. Civil servants lead a mollycoddled existence, and now that they have entered into wage restraints, they are now to be handled as fragile fine china. Occasionally, one hears of a transfer to 'never, never land'. The nation's ranking on the doing business index has been bad for years. No serious remedial action has been taken. Now we have this one all-purpose form, but that falls within the purview of the Companies Office of Jamaica. What of a smooth, seamless interaction between JAMPRO, Bureau of Standards, Tax Administration, Scientific Research Council, and Jamaica Customs? Too much to ask?

Recall the efforts of Dr Henry Lowe. He has made the investment after conducting research, yet the manufacturing has to be done elsewhere. Why? Bureaucratic delays.

It seems as if the bureaucrats do not understand that delays cost money. Delay in decision making means jobs are not created, foreign exchange lost and tax not collected. The economy suffers. This is as a result of the action of the Government who will extract the last dollar for taxes and then tax some more. There is no visible method of expanding the tax net to improve the revenue source. It can be done, just ask the taxi operators who must now pay a minimum tax each year.

sense of urgency

Where is the sense of urgency to secure economic development? There is not much being done to push exports. The era of banana and unprocessed agricultural produce is over. Push culture. Sting concert was sold on pay-per-view for US$35-US$40 in some 21 countries. Build on this despite the unsavoury aspects of some performances. Where is the push for Diamond League status for a track meet in Jamaica, broadcast to the world? Each time minor sports such as badminton and swimming have international meets here, some 700 to 1,000 visitors come to occupy our hotel rooms. Let us make the necessary concessions to push the non-traditional revenue sources. There is nutmeg all over Carron Hall in St Mary. Why not process some for export? There are so many things that we could be doing.

Jamaica is in trouble for want of strong, competent leadership. It is hard to recall the commercial ventures that have been pursued by government officials. If you have never risked your capital, struggled to meet a payroll and sweat over accounts receivable, do you have the fire to push commercial development? I doubt it very much.

There must be a change. We demand a change now. After all, this is 2014.

Ronald Mason is an immigration attorney, mediator and talk-show host. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.

Ronald Mason