Garfield Grandison (centre), Editor-in-Chief of The Gleaner Company shakes hands with John Issa (left), Chairman of SuperClubs at Wednesday's Editors' Forum. In background are: Douglas Orane (partly hidden), Chairman and CEO of Grace, Kennedy & Company Ltd.; Wayne Chen (second right), Managing Director of SuperPlus; and Gordon Arnold, Managing Director of Globe Insurance.

Executives at Wednesday's Editors' Forum at the Gleaner North Street offices.- Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

OLIVER CLARKE, PRESIDENT, PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANISATION OF JAMAICA

What we want to try and do is to set what the agenda of the private sector should be immediately after the elections. I would like to start by asking people what are the private sector agenda items that ought to be on the table on October 17 whichever Government is in, what are the issues you feel that need to be dealt with.

DOUGLAS ORANE, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, GRACE, KENNEDY

Well, I think there are two aspects to it; one is the economic and that is that the country has a particularly large debt burden relative to the size of the economy. Whoever wins has to address that, that's one, but there is a wider and broader issue and I put it this way, the Jamaican imagination of what we can be is finite, in other words, our view of wealth is finite, we see wealth as fixed and therefore we have to fight each other over who has to get what and it's not about us getting wealthy together. Somebody needs to make that paradigm shift and say we as a country need to move ahead and get wealthy together, everybody, and that really is what I am looking for from whoever wins. Now, if we don't do it, then we will caught into this zero sum game which leads to all sorts of things like political tribalism, maintaining and establishing garrisons and all that leads to, so we need to break out of the paradigm.

PETER MELHADO, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MANUFACTURERS SIGMA MERCHANT BANK

I think maybe a bit micro, but two things particularly, I think we are kind of being in a false feel good period for a while, for a long time and I think all the numbers point to the fact that we are in a very tight bind and that we need to move a bit from feel good to take some of the tough medicine.

We have to stop building roads, and fixing things that we can't afford to fix. I mean we just can't spend what we don't have and we have been spending what we don't have for a hell of a long time. The second thing is focusing on management; somehow I think we have got away from that, if you had superior management to what we have in all areas, we could do a lot better.

PETER MOSES, COUNTRY CORPORATE DIRECTOR, CITIBANK N A

Crime, debt and growth. What is the private sector to do about that?

I don't know that we are going to be able to do much more than we are doing already in terms of trying to keep those on the agenda, trying to influence policy.

MARSHALL HALL, MANAGING DIRECTOR, JAMAICA PRODUCERS

Two vital things, efficiency and growth. In the efficiency area, not that they are vital, but you know if we have a regulatory framework which has the OUR, it has FTC, you have a whole pile of these agencies, that's one indication of the efficiency in government that one needs to be concerned about; the kind of thing about fixing roads, making sure that efficiency is a big thing and for me to have the government recognise that growth is important at the micro level, and I mean by that Customs has to have growth as its priority and not collecting revenues or try to catch contraband, growth is the thing because without growth we won't get the pie enlarged.

AUBYN HILL, MANAGING DIRECTOR, NCB

I want to subscribe to two things, efficiency of government and the Customs. You bring tourists in this country to come through Customs and it is the biggest possible turn off I could see in any of the 50 odd countries that I have visited. We need to make sure that we get that thing working well and move that on to efficiency in other places of government. I don't think that there is probably enough concentration on the fact that money should be spent efficiently and the private sector - I met with somebody who was from the private sector yesterday and went into Government and he said any of us who should get the chance, should move from the private sector and help the Government, should take that opportunity because we need to help them and we need to understand how they do their business. The other thing that I would like to comment on apart from that efficiency issue and management issue is the education issue.

I really believe we have to take a longer term look at education and whichever party wins and stop playing game with it. We have to really look at making Jamaicans well qualified Jamaicans, not just farm workers any more, but nurses, doctors, accountants, and exportable items coming from Jamaica. The crime issue therefore must also be addressed.

ROY D'CAMBRE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, NATIONAL FUELS

We can talk around it all we want, but crime is the major challenge we face in this society and I don't care who wins, we elect a government or the existing government and we have a Minister of Security who is not trained, he is not trained in the field in which his Ministry operates; and yet look at this table here, you have people here who could sit down and make specific recommendations to the Government, instead of protesting that the crime is too high, to be specific, we have the brain here, we could do it. I mean if you look on the roads today, you see a man driving a black tinted car and you expect a policeman to stop this black tinted car, that's how the criminals get around, just basic things like that.

KEITH DUNCAN, DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR, JAMAICA MONEY MARKET BROKERS

What is important is that we have national consensus, a shared vision, there needs to be a coming together of critical areas of the economy, the private sector, the public sector, unions and people.

I see that through the formation of, I would call it, an Economic Prosperity Council which is similar to what Douglas is saying, this thing is not finite, it is there for us, you know we can create the conditions to achieve greatness and it is just a matter of bringing all sectors together to think it through and keep the Government and each of us accountable at all levels.

THALIA LYN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ISLAND GRILL

Cut the bureaucracy so that we can see more growth. I shouldn't have a trailer sitting on the wharf for a month, too much bureaucracy in the whole system and it's at all levels and we are afraid to speak out, me included, because I have to go back to the same people to ask for these concessions and if I speak out too loudly my concessions might be taken away.

AUDREY MARKS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, PAYMASTER JAMAICA LTD.

One is simply repairing and maintaining our infrastructure. Every time when we have rains, we have floods and massive dislocation. I know in my business, if we have a problem with a system not working we have to fix it for the next time. We know what is causing the problem, we know that we need to clean the drains, clean the gullies but it is just not done. In fact, I would like to see more basic repair and maintenance as a primary item. I would like to take back security as the responsibility of the state. There is a simple thing like just having the street boys away from the stop-lights. I think that is where a lot of criminal activity is going on and it has started to really traumatise many people.

I would like to see us start looking at just the business of managing the country as a business and by that I mean, I looked at both (PNP and JLP) manifestos and I see where there is not really a plan, there is no five year, ten year, fifteen year plan. We keep looking at how we get votes and get in power and just look at how we can get votes after five years, but there is no long-term plan for the country.

We see where there is an emphasis on micro-enterprise but no emphasis on the medium sized business. I don't see an emphasis in the present manifestos and I would like to see a real plan for growth of medium sized business after the elections.

SEAMUS LYNCH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DIGICEL

The first observation would be to open up the economy and eliminate the bureaucracy and create an environment that is more business friendly. At the moment, there is a lot of bureaucracy put in place in the business enterprise development. Government organisations that put natural barriers in place for growth and development. There are a couple of quick wins you can get in all of this.

It's a phenomenon that exists in Jamaica. You always go for the big win and you never pick up all the small bits and crumbs and make a nice small cake and all the small cakes together can feed the nation. If you look at the strength of Jamaica itself, probably the biggest strength is the people and the friendliness of the people. Tourism is a natural product and music is a natural product. Most people would say you can't develop an industry around music and that's rubbish. In Ireland they developed a tourism industry around music so music and tourism formed a very strong backbone to the Irish economy at one stage so you can get those quick wins. The medium term wins are where you invest in education. When you develop and grow the people and can get into more value added and the longer term projects that are the infrastructural type products that are there. All of that needs to be packaged in terms of repositioning of Jamaica externally. Certainly my perception is totally different from 90 per cent of the people overseas. Ninety per cent of the people overseas would see Jamaica as a primary country and a place that you can't do business. There is more cash in Jamaica, there is more business to be done in Jamaica than most other countries around the world.

We should encourage new businesses and small businesses. It is not the big ones that will give us the overall success, its the multiple small businesses.

MARIO VULINOVITCH, WESTERN CARIBBEAN GENERAL MANAGER FOR SHELL

If we want to attract overseas investments we have to ensure that we have consistency in terms of level playing field and I think people mentioned the bureaucracy to get permits and the difference in standards. Take service stations, which has been in the news lately.

There might be three or four different agencies that have different standards. I think it's very important that we streamline our approval and planning processes so that it reduces the sort of bureaucracy and leads to investments.

But I think where Jamaica has a huge opportunity is in the coming five to ten years. There are going to be some significant investments. One is Highway 2000. Once we open up the road, companies like Lascelles or a major distributor like D&G, will be able to have a more efficient distribution structure to reduce working capital around the country (and) which will reduce security. I think there is a huge opportunity for Jamaica. The Government now has an opportunity to develop what we just said, a mission, vision and objective, so people understand where we are heading in the next five, ten years. Now is the time to pull together and get a common vision and some objectives.

WAYNE CHEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SUPERPLUS

We have heard a pretty comprehensive list of issues and I would like to add the efficiency of the judiciary. The court and the judicial process, despite constant pronouncements, still remain too slow and too inefficient and it's an easy win.

It's not that hard to fix but we have to have the will to fix it. The second is organised crime as distinct from just regular crime. There is a disturbing trend in Jamaica where power and authority are moving into areas that we might not be comfortable with.

MICHAEL AMMAR, JR., PRESIDENT, JAMAICA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

There are too much regulations and legislations that are repetitive. Like with the Bureau of Standards - they continue to frustrate the process of imports; to have standards that they pull out of a hat. They don't use the US standards or the British standards, they just invent their own despite the advice of the Chamber of Commerce and the other trading organisations.

Similarly, to bring in food now you have to get two or three different permits from different Government agencies which can or cannot be granted depending on what frame of mind they are in with your particular company. The past JCC president had a major problem because of his pronouncements about such permits.

The second thing is urban renewal. I think our city is dying. We have to start addressing the problems of Kingston, because they are spreading to Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and the other towns. No matter how much we promote Jamaica, each time there is a flare-up in Kingston it destroys the image that we are promoting. Kingston is not an expensive fix. If it were a business decision it would have been made long ago.

Regarding the whole issue of the political arrangements that we are now faced with, the constitutional reform issue, it is full time that we start growing up as a people and a country and stop accepting this silly system that we have been using since Independence. I see no reason why we should not have a fixed date for elections. The constitution is the foundation of the country so we need to look at that from a private sector point of view.

JOHN ISSA, CHAIRMAN, SUPERCLUBS

We have to get justice in the system generally because we are not going to have any peace without justice. In Jamaica if you are not connected - whether it is connection because you are well known, powerful, wealthy or in the case of someone poor, you go into a rural hospital for example, if you don't have some relative who is a nurse - you are treated like dirt.

If we don't get that basic justice, we will never have peace because people will say, if there is no fairness, let me grab what I can.

Government has to decide that anyone who breaks the law will be prosecuted.

It is impossible to successfully prosecute a violent criminal because you cannot protect the witnesses and get them to court. Its too easy to defeat justice.

We need to bring back somebody like a Trevor McMillan who, although somewhat hot-headed, had the confidence generally of the people. I wonder what would happen if the present Commissioner stood up and opposed people in authority, you know.

And then education, I can't leave that one out, because if we do not educate our people, you can't have a civilised society and you are not going to be able to expand business and you are not going to have a proper democracy because a successful democracy is dependent on an educated population.

If you should think about it, the majority of people living in Jamaica in service say they would wish to live elsewhere. Now, when the conditions are such to create that feeling, it then makes it increasingly difficult to tell someone come and visit.

CLARENCE CLARKE, PRESIDENT, JAMAICA MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

What we need is a Government that will treat the business sector as innocent until proven guilty and not guilty until proven innocent. Once they have that concept, then I think the whole question of bureaucracy will be addressed.

When you look at the question of the amendment to the Processed Foods Act to facilitate food processors which is the fastest growing sector in manufacturing today, that is on the books for amendment for at least three, four years and it can't be done. When you question it, they say the Parliamentary Counsel has lots of work, and yet when there is legislation that facilitates them, it can be rushed through in a few days.

I think we need to see Government looking at the business sector as a contributing area to the growth that they are trying to establish. We also need to see efficiency in the Government.

GORDON ARNOLD, GENERAL MANAGER, GLOBE INSURANCE

I believe we have to create an environment that will encourage young people, especially those who are entrepreneurial, to come and start small, and medium size businesses. A number of young people tell me it's very very difficult for them unless they have the correct profile to go to a bank and get funding to start their own business. We are going to lose a lot of people. The reason we have not lost them yet is because of the recession in the States. If they could get jobs up there they would have gone and I think the brain drain is going to continue. Unless we really turn then on, motivate them to give us the benefit of their talents, then we are going to lose them.