142 | Business World Magazine |
November 2013
mandate handed to AASPA was to run the
sea port and airport both properly and prof-
itably. Though easier said than done, this
move was generally deemed as positive as it
would empower the Authority to establish
and collect on fees necessary to offset cost
of operations, oversee and help facilitate
improvements in infrastructure and foster
a new era of cooperation with the private
sector. As Rogers says, “Sometimes, there’s
a lot of red tape people have to go through
when dealing with the government ... when
issues can be address by coming straight to
the air and sea port authority... there’s a bet-
ter flow of business that takes less time and is
much more productive.” Despite all that was
planned in 2009, there have been challenges
to the progress of this vision. Earlier this year,
a European Union study found than that
the government had failed to make good on
some of the assurances it had initially given
to the Authority. For examples, the land on
which the airport and ports are sited had not
yet transferred as Land and Survey Depart-
ment had not surveyed and valued facilities
in accordance with the strategy. As opposed
to collecting port charges, cruising taxes and
embarkation taxes as had been planned;
these monies were collected by other gov-
ernment departments such as Customs or
