The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Chamber of Commerce's chairman yesterday urged the Government to identify the timelines and persons for delivering "change in government", adding that "value" in public spending is now key.

Michael Maura told Tribune Business that the Minnis administration needed to move quickly on recommendations that will be forthcoming from its National Economic Advisory Council and Ease of Doing Business Committee.

"These entities will be making valuable contributions to his government and his office," the Chamber chairman said of the two newly-appointed groups.

"A question we hope to have answered is, one, when the recommendations are received, who will be charged with change in government. And two, how long is it going to take to see tangible change materialise by way of investment, by way of policy.

"Who is going to drive change in government, and how do we make sure it happens now, and not a year from now?"

Mr Maura's comments are effectively a call for the Government to outline its plan for implementing reforms to grow the economy and improve the 'ease of doing business', once it receives recommendations on how to achieve these goals.

"I feel optimistic based on what I've read and heard from the Government," he told Tribune Business, "but now it's as important, not more important, to know how fast we can anticipate that kind of change.

"There's an expression in business: Very few companies can shrink themselves into greatness. Here there's an opportunity where the Government has brought together experts in their field, domestically and internationally, who are making a valuable contribution.

"How does the Government leverage those contributions? How will we see change? How will we see improvement."

Mr Maura said the Government's 13-person 'ease of doing business' committee, upon which he sits, would likely collaborate with the Chamber's own committee tackling the same issue. Attorney Krystel Sands-Feaste sits on both bodies.

Meanwhile, the Chamber chairman said "the mantra" going forward on public spending had to be "value", and the generation of economic growth and jobs.

"Where public funds are spent, it results in economic growth. That has to be the mantra going forward," Mr Maura told Tribune Business.

"Where the Government is spending, there has to be true and tangible value, getting the economy moving and the people back to work."

He also urged the Government to privatise and outsource management of public sector entities/assets to the private sector, especially utility companies such as the Water & Sewerage Corporation.

"If they can find the right strategic partner, the Government can assume more of a regulatory and passive investor role," Mr Maura explained, "and allow the private investor to modernise infrastructure that we are so dependent on and pay too much for today.

"Get the cost of energy down, make us more efficient and allow the Government, as key investor, to actually get a return."

Mr Maura praised the Prime Minister's national address for setting out the Government's fiscal objectives in "a very strong and powerful" way.

"I want to applaud the Prime Minister for his strong leadership in this effort," the Chamber chairman said. "It's obvious he and his government take our fiscal state extremely seriously, and that's to be commended."