Prime Minister Holness Reiterates Commitment to Reform the Public Bureaucracy
“To further increase productivity, we are reducing bureaucracy and improving the ease of doing business. This will enable businesses to thrive, attract greater investment, and keep this virtuous cycle of peace, productivity, and prosperity going.”
– Prime Minister Holness
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Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness declared the Government’s unwavering commitment to reforming the public bureaucracy. Prime Minister Holness said the reform is crucial to driving productivity, supporting economic growth, and sustaining a “virtuous cycle of peace, productivity, and prosperity”.
Speaking on Wednesday (April 16) at the groundbreaking of the Raintree Commercial Complex led by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), Prime Minister Holness acknowledged the challenges that have long plagued public sector entities. Dr. Holness highlighted stagnation and what he described as mission drift as challenges. Despite this, the Prime Minister made it clear that transformation in the public sector is underway, led by a renewed focus on results and national development.
“The public bureaucracy can last forever. Sometimes it loses its mission, and people get caught up in bureaucratic routine, where success is gauged by paperwork and signatures rather than actual impact,” the Prime Minister said.
In that regard, Prime Minister Holness highlighted the revival of the UDC as a prime example of the shift in mindset taking place within the public sector. Once dormant in terms of large-scale development, the UDC is now actively leading transformative projects such as Harmony Park in St. James, the upcoming Resilient Park in Portmore, and other major urban development initiatives.
“When we say we have to change the bureaucracy immediately, in the minds of some, they’re thinking that we’re going to have to shut down, lay off and fire people; that’s not how you change bureaucracy. You change the bureaucracy by getting the people who are there to produce more,” Dr. Holness explained.
The Raintree Commercial Complex, the Prime Minister said, symbolizes more than just commercial growth, as it reflects the re-energizing of public institutions and the critical shift from process-based operations to purpose-driven performance.
Dr. Holness also emphasized that these reforms are part of a broader strategy to keep Jamaica on a forward trajectory.
“Jamaica is becoming more peaceful. This enables us to be more productive as a country. To further increase productivity, we are reducing bureaucracy and improving the ease of doing business. This will enable businesses to thrive, attract greater investment, and keep this virtuous cycle of peace, productivity, and prosperity going,” the Prime Minister noted.
In support of this vision, Prime Minister Holness cited the country’s ongoing macroeconomic progress, improved national security outcomes, and continued public infrastructure investments as signs that Jamaica is on the right path.
“The Raintree Commercial Complex project is an example of us reviving a bureaucracy, making use of the resources that are at its disposal. We are celebrating not just new development but the transformation of our institutions that make it possible,” Prime Minister Holness said.