Business chambers welcome meeting with UNC

THE Confederation of Business Chambers has said it welcomes the opportunity to speak with those who influence legislation, be it government or opposition, to put forward its ideas.

Confederation co-ordinator Jai Leladharsingh made it clear, however, that the organisation,which represents 12 business chambers and associations throughout the country, is an apolitical body.

Commenting on a meeting that various chambers held with the United National Congress (UNC) on Thursday, Leladharsingh told the Newsday, “A politician always wants political support, but we made it clear at the beginning that the confederation is apolitical.

“We are willing to work with whoever is in government or opposition in the country, but our primary aim is the development of a competitive and very much buoyant business sector to create wealth for the country.”

In keeping with the directive of the UNC’s political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar to meet with and listen to concerns and proposals from various stakeholder groups, the UNC met with chamber heads in Chaguanas on Thursday.

Persad-Bissessar led her three deputy political leaders, senator Jearlean John, Dr Roodal Moonilal and David Lee, in the meeting with the 15-member chamber delegation, including Vivek Charran and Ricardo Mohammed.

In a statement, the UNC said the two bodies exchanged ideas on national crime prevention, creating an enabling environment for economic growth and expanding educational opportunities for young people.

The UNC said it also shared the concerns raised by members on the impending rise in electricity rates and the detrimental effect this will have on businesses and the employment rate.

Persad-Bissessar said these stakeholder meetings are part of a continuous programme.

Leladharsingh confirmed the agenda and said the chambers were impressed with the party's willingness to listen to ideas and to engage in further discussions.

“It is very important for those who influence legislation to understand what is happening regarding the business community.”

He said the heads of the various chambers raised several matters related to crime in their respective communities.

They called for more army and police joint patrols to serve as a deterrent, more training for officers in terms of crime detection, especially the formation of gangs, and arrests.

The troubling matter of the ease of doing business and the provision of an enabling environment for business to get back on the growth path were also raised.

Leladharsingh also advanced that being an oil and gas economy is no longer sufficient, as a case for the modernisation of the economy, by expanding manufacturing, the agriculture sector relative to food security, and the development of high-tech industries.

Having come out of the pandemic, he also alluded to reassessing the tourism thrust.

“None of this will happen, however, unless we address the crime situation.

“We are demanding performance of the people who are in government. They must have proper measurable and metrics they are targeting towards and not just operating by guess.”