Jamaica – PM Holness Warns Excessive Bureaucracy Is Hindering National Growth

2026-02-06 - 15:37

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says Jamaica’s pace of development is being significantly slowed by excessive bureaucracy, arguing that cumbersome administrative processes continue to undermine the Government’s ability to deliver projects efficiently. Speaking yesterday at the official handover ceremony for the Essex Valley Agro-Processing Facility and Administrative Building in St Elizabeth, Holness said his administration could have completed as many as ten times more projects over the past five years if not for what he described as complicated and restrictive red tape. He pointed to the agro-processing project itself, which had been under consideration since 2017, as an example of delays caused by bureaucratic inefficiencies. According to the prime minister, many of the rules and legislative frameworks governing public sector operations were adopted from other countries as conditions for doing business with Jamaica or accessing grant funding. While he acknowledged that modern governance requires robust systems, Holness argued that Jamaica’s bureaucracy has become unnecessarily complicated rather than efficiently complex. “You are not going to have simple processes in any country today. But you can have complex processes that are not complicated,” Holness said. “The problem with our bureaucracy is that it is complicated, meaning things do not happen simultaneously. They happen sequentially, so you have to complete one step before moving on to the next.” He further criticized the public bureaucracy for what he described as a lack of sensitivity to outcomes and context, particularly during emergencies. Holness noted that even in situations involving hurricanes or national crises, where rapid procurement of telecommunications and other critical resources is necessary, bureaucratic procedures often remain rigid and unresponsive. “That is not a matter for the public bureaucracy. That is of no moment, no concern,” he said, emphasizing that efficiency in government requires systems that are responsive to real-world conditions. “We must reform the bureaucracy.” The prime minister’s comments come amid heightened scrutiny following the tabling of a compliance audit report in Parliament by Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis. The report flagged breaches of procurement rules related to the purchase of 200 Starlink satellite devices valued at $12.12 million, actions linked to Cabinet Minister Daryl Vaz. The Starlink devices, developed by international technology firm SpaceX, provide high-speed Internet connectivity in areas where traditional networks are unavailable or disrupted. They were reportedly acquired to address communication challenges following Hurricane Melissa in October last year. According to the audit, Vaz, acting as co-chair of the Relief and Recovery Oversight Committee, improperly directed a disaster relief agency to engage a single supplier for the procurement, contrary to established procedures. The auditor general stated that such actions should have been initiated by the head of the procuring entity. The report also identified several operational and accountability issues, including inventory failures in which 80 of the 200 devices were not recorded in the official inventory and remained unused on-site. Of the 120 devices that were distributed, inspections revealed that at least 41 were in storage rather than actively deployed. Additional concerns included missing documentation, with five entities failing to record the devices in their asset registers, increasing the risk of loss. The audit further noted unverified distribution, as only 13 of 17 entities responded to verification requests, leaving the status of dozens of devices unclear. Questions were also raised about disputed allocations. The Jamaica Constabulary Force reported that one device was sent to the Ministry of Finance, a claim the ministry denied. The device was reportedly collected by a close-protection officer instead. The audit stated that the JCF has not yet provided proof of authorization from the Ministry of Transport or the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management for the distribution. Vaz has rejected the audit’s conclusions regarding his role, describing them as uninformed and grossly inaccurate. He denied any wrongdoing, insisting that his actions were justified under the circumstances. “I strongly reject any suggestion of wrongdoing for my justifiable actions,” Vaz said. In a series of posts on social media platform X, he added that if he is being criticized for intervening during a period of panic buying and price gouging to secure devices for the national response, he makes no apologies and accepts full responsibility.