Holness: UDC staff have renewed pride amid change in bureaucratic culture

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness yesterday dubbed himself the deliverer-in-chief during the contract signing and groundbreaking of the Raintree Commercial Complex at Ferry Park in St Catherine, while lauding the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) for changing the bureaucratic culture of the organisation.

The Raintree Commercial Complex is spearheaded by the UDC and forms part of the Caymanas Estate Development Area (CEDA).

The CEDA is one of the UDC’s designated areas and covers approximately 4,332 hectares (10,704 acres) of land located primarily in southeast St Catherine and southwest St Andrew.

It is the largest remaining underdeveloped lands at the St Andrew and St Catherine parish boundary suitable for sustainable development to meet the demand for residential, mixed-use, light industrial and commercial activities.

Holness, in tagging himself the “deliverer-in-chief”, declared that every week going forward he would be taking part in ceremonies to either turn on [water] or hand over [houses] and, as with the Raintree Commercial Complex, he would not just be present to make promises.

He said the plan for the complex had been on the table for years and across successive administrations.

“The public bureaucracy can last forever…meaning, when you establish it as a government, particularly when you give it statutory life, and even when that statutory life gives it a mandate, sometimes it can lose its mission. So the law gives it a mandate, but it is the policies and the politics and the people that give it the mission, that is, the drive and energy to execute the mandate,” Holness said.

Holness said it was instructive that the UDC was, for 27 years, essentially dormant in undertaking a development such as Raintree Commercial Complex.

“This is not to say that in the last nine years the UDC has not undertaken several other important developments. The one that I am particularly proud of is Harmony Park in St James, and I am certain that I will be exceedingly proud of the Resilient Park in the soon-to-be parish of Portmore, the fulfilment of the mandate of urban development,” Holness said.

‘Spinning in circles’

He said that in those 27 years, the staff at the UDC could get very frustrated.

“People who want to see things happen, who have gotten their academic qualification and they want to contribute to the country and they say, ‘I want to work at an entity like the UDC’; and they end up in an entity where they are spinning in circles and not moving forward. They get frustrated, they lose the mission, and as far as they are concerned they are just there to perfect the bureaucracy,” Holness said.

He added that in so doing, the measure of success becomes how many pieces of paper one signs.

“What we have been trying to do with entities like the UDC is to change the bureaucratic culture, that it is the process and not the outcome. I’m looking at the staff and I sense a new pride in them. That what they have gone to school for as architect and civil engineers and urban planners, they can actually now see that come to fruition,” Holness said, adding it was easy for staff at the UDC to come to work just to collect their pay and achieve absolutely nothing.

The prime minister said that when talking about changing bureaucracy, immediately some persons think about shutdowns, lay-offs and termination.

“That’s not how you change bureaucracy. You change bureaucracy by getting the people who are there to produce more,” Holness said.

He said the Raintree Commercial Complex project is an example of the Government reviving a bureaucracy, making use of the resources that are at their disposal.

“So, yes, we are gonna celebrate the groundbreaking and the new development that will come here, but I want you to equally appreciate that you are seeing the transformation of the UDC bureaucracy,” Holness said.

‘More productivity’

The prime minister said there is an energy in the UDC now.

“You have accomplished Harmony Park, you are about to bring to completion the Portmore Resilient Park. I didn’t say I am going to assign the Mandeville Park to them, but they want it. That tells you when the energy starts to pick up in the public bureaucracy, that’s more productivity,” Holness said.

He said the UDC was ready to go on the Government Circle (Heroes Circle) project and many more in the Caymanas stretch, where a concerted effort on housing is to come on stream.

“I’m here as well to celebrate the re-emergence of the UDC as Jamaica’s premier urban development entity… . Today marks the materialisation of a long-held vision, a vision of transforming underutilised land in this district into a centre of economic activity, employment, innovation and inclusive growth. A vision of how we move Jamaica from potential to progress,” Holness said.

UDC Chairman Norman Brown said the aim is to have the area operated as a logistics and industrial park.

“This development will be a strategic, investor-ready and future-facing development proudly brought to you by the UDC. I would say to you, ladies and gentleman, today is the re-emergence of the UDC in the development landscape of Jamaica,” Brown said, reiterating that it was their first commercial development in 27 years.

“The Raintree Commercial Complex is a bold investment in Jamaica’s economic infrastructure. It is the first block in our long-term vision of [transforming] the Caymanas Estate into a dynamic hub for business, logistics and community life,” he said.

The first phase consisted of 69 fully serviced commercial lots to offer to the market, with modern infrastructure and strategic access to the ports, highways and labour.

“The response by investors has been amazing, and, so far, without a shovel in the ground, I think we have sold at least 35 per cent of the lots,” Brown said.

He said the development, among many things, proves that Jamaica can offer the kind of planned, high-quality commercial space that global investors are looking for.

Block One of the Raintree Commercial Complex will sit on 108 acres subdivided in parcels.

The development is expected to create 2,000 short-term and 5,000 long-term positions of employment.

Further development of the remaining acreage (Blocks 2-7) will occur in subsequent phases.

The UDC said three pillars were considered, including economic, environmental and social, in bringing the project to life.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com