Mark 1 Apparel Managing Director, Mark Halabe says the fear of FICAC is destroying public sector initiative and the current environment dictates that a single weaponised, anonymous complaint can tear down, and is tearing down, highly effective, performing public servants and members of the public who are trying to get things done.
While speaking during the State of the Fijian Economy panel discussion, Halabe says when public servants are terrified that a proactive, dynamic decision will result in a heavy-handed investigation based on a malicious rumour, they stop deciding, they push paper, delay approvals and hide behind bureaucracy.
He stresses that we cannot achieve private sector growth if our public service sector is paralysed by fear.
INSERT: Halabe on FICAC review 9 jun
He also says Fiji's skills shortage is being worsened by the diversion of the employer-funded 1 percent training levy away from workforce development.
He says after funds are redirected to accident compensation, free medical services and operational costs, only a small portion remains for actual training, undermining efforts to address the country's shortage of skilled workers.
Halabe asks why is the private sector paying for national social programs out of funds explicitly earmarked for human resource development, while industries are starving for technical skills.
He stresses that national social programs should be funded through general taxation, not by cannibalising the training budgets of businesses.
The entrepreneur is calling for the 1 percent training levy to be urgently restored and used appropriately for its original purpose of upskilling workers.
He further says that if we want real improvements in productivity then funding of the Fiji Business Excellence Framework must be fully restored where they used to get a budget of $500,000 but during this change in the 1 percent levy, it went down to $50,000.
Halabe also says Fiji must urgently strengthen its training and skills development pipeline to take advantage of the artificial intelligence revolution, warning that failing to embrace AI will leave the country uncompetitive globally.
He says Fiji can attract international business and manufacturing opportunities, but only if it invests heavily in both technology and people.
Halabe says true productivity requires pursuing excellence at all levels and in every single department.
He says Fiji can attract international business and manufacturing opportunities, but only if it invests heavily in both technology and people.
Halabe says true productivity requires pursuing excellence at all levels and in every single department.
He adds that it demands that we stop treating labour as a transactional cost to be minimised and start treating our people as capital to be developed.
