Business leaders endorse Anderson for NaRRA but demand oversight, transparency

Three of the country's largest business groups have endorsed Major (Ret’d) Antony Anderson's appointment to head the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), the special-purpose body intended to fast-track major infrastructure and recovery projects following Hurricane Melissa.  

The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ), and the Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica (IMAJ) described Anderson as a credible and experienced public servant with a track record of delivering results. 

“On the face of it, he appears to have sufficient operational experience to take on the focus of NaRRA, which will be large infrastructure projects, which will involve the mobilisation of multiple resources,” JCC President Emile Leiba told The Gleaner. 

Leiba acknowledged concerns about Anderson’s lack of direct infrastructure experience, but argued that staffing could address that issue. He also noted Anderson’s extensive public service background as former police commissioner, Jamaica Defence Force chief, national security adviser and Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States.

Still, Leiba said the JCC would closely monitor the authority’s operations.

“We certainly want to preserve the tax dollars and the loan funds and all the other sources of funds that NaRRA will be accessing to engage in these projects, and we certainly will be watching closely to ensure that there is proper oversight, proper audit function. We are [also] confident in the role of the auditor general to provide oversight to public bodies, which includes NaRRA,” he said. 

IMAJ President Richard Mullings said Anderson “has a very positive track record, and has always come across as someone with integrity”.

“We would expect that quite quickly, there will be open and frank discussions about how locals will be engaged and how we will participate in the development, and also very importantly, how Jamaicans will be empowered, whether through training, through some other systems within NaRRA, to be able to contribute to the rebuilding process,” he said. 

However, he stressed that concerns about the NaRRA legislation remain, including transparency provisions and the absence of consultation with local contractors during the drafting stage.

He said the association is awaiting regulations and ministerial orders to support the implementation of the law.

“It wouldn’t be clear to us how the major would function without having these things clearly set out,” he said. 

SBAJ President Garnett Reid said he expects Jamaican businesses to benefit from the rebuilding programme.

“[Anderson] has a big job to do. He has to ensure that the small, medium, and large Jamaican companies get a fair share where NaRRA is concerned. But overall, it is a good move,” he said. 

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness announced Anderson’s appointment on Wednesday, stating that he will assume the role on June 1.

Holness disclosed that 85 applications were received for the CEO post, with seven candidates shortlisted, including applicants from Jamaica, Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

A former UK diplomat was reportedly among those considered, as well as a senior United Nations official with decades of experience in disaster risk reduction, recovery and management, and who is Jamaican.

 The prime minister also stressed that he kept his distance from the recruitment process, which was overseen by a panel including Public Service Commission Chairman Patricia Sinclair McCalla and Cabinet Secretary Audrey Sewell.

In announcing Anderson’s appointment, Holness declared that he has great confidence in him.

 “As fate would have it, I had tasked him to review the State’s response to Hurricane Beryl, which would have included a review of all the entities involved in the response, but specifically, a review of ODPEM. So he is already in proximity to these issues,” he said.

The NaRRA legislation was approved in the Senate on May 8 after sustained criticism from the parliamentary Opposition and civil society groups.

While stating that it expects Anderson to carry out his duties with “transparency, integrity, and accountability”, the People's National Party (PNP) said his appointment raises “serious questions” for the Government, including whether he participated in the original recruitment exercise.

Political commentator Lloyd B. Smith argued that Anderson was a strong choice because he is not viewed as partisan.

“NaRRA has taken on a certain political divisiveness,” he told The Gleaner. “This choice, I think, may help to appease those members of civil society and the PNP, who may have felt that NaRRA, for all intents and purposes, was going to be another JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) enclave, with the person put there more or less being a figurehead.”

In a meeting with Embassy staff in Washington, DC, after the appointment was announced, Anderson drew comparisons with countries such as Singapore and Bahrain, emphasising that Jamaica must intensify its focus on speed, efficiency and scalability in both government and business operations.

 “The countries that will succeed in this era are those that are able to adapt quickly, leverage technology effectively, and make smarter, faster decisions. For Jamaica, resilience and development must increasingly be supported by innovation, digital tools, predictive analytics, and more agile systems of execution. These are capabilities that can significantly enhance national development outcomes and strengthen the effectiveness of institutions such as NaRRA,” Anderson stated.