By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A former Cabinet minister said yesterday that “no government” has done a good job in improving the Bahamas’ ‘ease of doing business’, arguing that the bureaucratic challenges “straight up to the Churchill Building”.

Ryan Pinder, the former financial services minister, and current Elizabeth MP, echoed concerns over the impediments impacting the conduct of business in the Bahamas.

He told the Rotary Club of West Nassau: “If you want to be in the international business arena, you have to have an international business mindset. You have to do ease of doing business and, no, I don’t think any government has done a good job at the ease of doing business.

“I have a client who has been waiting now 10 weeks on a  Business License.  I have a client who is a contractor of the government waiting now three months on a Business License. They have a contract with the Government.”

The Graham, Thompson & Company attorney and partner added: “You have to get through the bureaucratic challenges in this country, and that’s on all levels. That’s from the cashier at Immigration, straight up to the Churchill Building.”

Prime Minister Perry Christie, during his wrap-up of the 2016-2017 Budget debate, took “full ownership” of this nation’s economic competitiveness decline.

“My government is committed to improving the business environment here in the Bahamas, but we do not seek to do this blindly. We seek to be informed by the experts on the best course of action and the vision and desires of the Bahamian public,” said Mr Christie.

“My government is prepared, no, dedicated to doing this and making the Bahamas the best country in which to do business.”

Mr Christie pledged to focus on “supply side economics” to boost the Bahamas’ weak GDP growth levels and competitiveness.

Turning to the Bahamas’ flagging ‘ease of doing business’ indicators, Mr Christie said the Government was seeking greater co-ordination between the Ministry of Works and Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) to reduce the time it takes for new businesses to be connected to energy supplies.

Acknowledging the Bahamas’ 183rd ranking, out of 189 nations, for the ‘ease of registering property’, the Prime Minister acknowledged this was largely driven by the challenges attorneys have in ensuring there is ‘good title’, and no encumbrances, liens and mortgage charges on real estate.

The recording of conveyances at the Registry of Records was another issue, and Mr Christie said: “Significant improvements can be made through the use of technology to facilitate full online searches of the registry, reducing the time to do a search from the current one to two months to a few days.

“Improving the technology is only part of the answer, as we also need to improve the service provided by the various government departments. The initiative to strengthen the public service, to create more accountability and improve staff performance, will have long-run benefits as it will remove a number of the bureaucratic hindrances that adversely impact business in the Bahamas.”

Mr Christie said the Bahamas ranked 111th in the world when it came to protecting minority investors, adding that the Government was aware of the need to improve the Companies Act and related legislation.