ARGUING that, in order for Jamaica to position itself as the premier logistics hub of the Caribbean, “greater speed and alacrity is needed in the investment and redevelopment decisions that are made”, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has once again expressed frustration at the pace of development projects across the country.

Speaking during Tuesday’s official launch and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Rousseau Road Commercial Complex in Kingston, Holness noted that the 14-unit development, which offers more than 26,000 square feet of modern warehouse and office space, “marks an investment that speaks to the country’s ambition of becoming a major centre for logistics and trade”.

He argued, however, that in order for that to be achievable, there can be no bottlenecks in the process.

“If all the containers in the world are coming here, then we have to be able to handle them efficiently. If there is congestion, we don’t have an advantage because efficient logistics systems operate on a principle called just-in-time. Now, if we are serious about taking advantage of this, then there are some investments that need to be made. Because if all the containers were to come to our port, we need to be able to store them. We need to be able to take them off the ship,” Holness said.

“Jamaica has one very important God-given asset. And it is all about location. And real estate people will tell you: Location, location. Another word for that advantageous location would be our geography, where we are situated in the world. We have not yet realised it as an asset. Successive governments have tried to capture this notion that our geography is an asset. And the capture of that would be documented in policy in trying to create Jamaica as a logistics hub,” he said.

Pointing to a decision made by the Government in 2007 to expand the port by relocating the Tinson Pen Aerodrome, Holness argued that the move has remained unachievable to date.

“It hasn’t happened yet. But Singapore, moving close to 2,500 acres of land, of port development, to another area, they have advanced and have started operations in their new location and expect to complete it in another 10 to 15 years. We haven’t begun yet. Granted, we did lease a part of the Tinson Pen to start a particular logistics. But I raise this point to say that if we are serious about achieving the ambition of becoming a logistics hub, then we have to move with greater speed and alacrity in the investment and redevelopment decisions that we make. It takes far too long,” he said.

“And you may be looking at it and saying, ‘But you are the prime minister. You must get it done’. It’s a curious thing about being a prime minister in a liberal democracy. Nobody wants you to have any power, but everybody is expecting to get everything done. So it is a long process of literally negotiating with independent authorities. Managing special interests. Even in the face of a Government mandate. Even in the face of winning an election. It is something on which, as a society, we must reflect. Are we serious about getting things done? I have no interest in anything that would undermine or destroy our democracy. But there is a point where people use our democracy for their own interests, and not for the people’s interests. If everyone can object to everything, how does anything get done? When do we come to a point to say, ‘Okay, is it my interest alone, or is it the public’s interest’?” Holness asked.

During his contribution to budget debate in March, the prime minister noted that the Port of Kingston was now one of the fastest-growing in the entire hemisphere, and as such the Government is determined to ensure that the infrastructure keeps pace with the growth.

According to Holness, the Government is undertaking a series of transformational projects that together will create the largest concentration of near-port logistics lands anywhere in the Caribbean.

He announced that the first project is an investment of US$80 million in its Westlands Project that is currently under way and will put Jamaica on course to having the largest concentration of near-port logistics lands anywhere in the Caribbean.

According to Holness once the project is completed, it will add 15 hectares to the Kingston Freeport Terminal, increasing cargo storage capacity by more than 25 per cent.

The second project, he said, involves the realignment of Marcus Garvey Drive to the north-east of Tinson Pen and the incorporation of the Tinson Pen lands into an expanded near-port logistics corridor.

He noted that a portion of these lands is already being actively utilised for auto mobile logistics — “a clear signal of Kingston’s emergence as a regional hub in this dynamic sector, and a preview of the far greater potential that lies ahead”.