THE EDITOR, Sir:I READ with interest the article in your paper of Friday, March 18, 2005 headed 'Crime is preventing double digit growth - Hughes'.
Crime may be a contributing factor, but Mr. Hughes should recognise that the biggest factor is the overpowering bureaucracy that has been developed by the government, resulting in everything getting bogged down.
I was reading in another publication recently, a comparison of the Indian and Chinese experience in getting projects approved from initiation to start-up and the writer was bemoaning the slowness of the Indian bureaucracy that takes 89 days versus the 41 days it takes in China.
I wonder what he would think of our experience where 270 days is normal and often considered good and where it can take over 90 days just to have a real estate sale assessed for Transfer Tax and Stamp Duty to be paid, thereby preventing the investment from proceeding.
It is the delay in approvals of every type that affects the growth rate and has a more damaging effect on the investor than even the crime. Perhaps Mr. Hughes can suggest to his minister ways to eliminate the bottlenecks and move us towards the slow Indian rate of approval of 89 days.
I would be intrigued if any of your readers had an experience of as little as 89 days and would care to share that experience with us.
We continue to make excuses for bad management and blame everything but the real cause.
I am, etc.,
PATRICK ROUSSEAU
patrick.rousseau
