The government must not rush its proposed National Development Plan (NDP), but must ensure that public and private sector voices are given adequate weight in creating a national plan that the entire country can support, according to a Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) official.
Speaking at the announcement of the 2015 Bahamas Business Outlook (BBO), BCCEC Chairman Gowon Bowe claimed that delaying the completion of the plan until 2016 was well worth the wait, if the authorities did not feel the plan was the best it could be. He cited the success of rival jurisdictions in creating long-lasting non-partisan road maps for national development.
"What's most important is that we see the input and participation by those who have a vested interest. That's going to include the business community, the government stakeholders, and civil society as well.
"I think what's the most important element behind that is that we come out with a truly national plan, and so that means that partisan politics [must] be put aside, there has to be differences of opinion put aside to enable us to have one plan, so that whilst we may not have all that we want in it, we can all get behind and support. The greatest success of some of our competitor countries is the fact that they actually develop a plan for themselves," said Bowe.
Bowe also addressed concerns that any future draft plan would fall by the wayside, stating that it would be "foolhardy" of local policy makers to squander the opportunities presented by the NDP. Instead, Bowe felt that the NDP was at a greater risk of being hindered by a glut of competing interests.
"What we run this risk of there being so many competing forces that there is no end result," he said.
The plan, which intends to lay the framework for national development until 2040, would be the first such document for the country. Prime Minister Perry Christie launched the public phase of the NDP design process in November 2014, stating that such a plan was sorely overdue for the country.
Minister of State for Investments Khaalis Rolle stressed the importance of getting the NDP "right the first time" earlier this year, stating that while he anticipated a draft plan before the end of 2015, the government would make provisions to ensure that the plan would not be rushed.
However, the prospect of a full plan reveal in 2016 did not discourage Arawak Port Development (APD) CEO and President Mike Maura, who agreed that ensuring tat the government and private sector cooperated to create a lasting framework trumped meeting any arbitrary deadlines for the plan. Above, all Maura hoped that the plan would retain a degree of flexibility that would ensure its longevity, noting that the country would not know the impact of value-added tax (VAT) for some time.
"I don't think we should expect it to be something that is bound and published, I think it needs to remain dynamic. I think that there is so much change in front of us right now and change will continue to be in front of us. There's so much uncertainty that that plan has to be dynamic," he said.
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