Focus on keeping politics out of SOEs

ALL State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are to run as companies without political influence, Communication and Energy Minister Rainbo Paita says.
He said yesterday that some of the issues that they had faced in terms of profitability was because they (SOEs) had been operating like government departments.
“Under the State Enterprises Minister Sasindran Muthuvel, myself and Transport Minister William Samb, we have agreed to run SOE companies like companies without political interference,” Paita said.
He said this was to ensure the companies ran efficiently.
“We protect them from political influence and give them the capacity to operate these companies.”
Paita said it did not make sense to hire people and tell them what to do.
“We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do and not the other way around,” he said.
“This will be the general thinking and way forward under my leadership.”
Paita said the rates or criteria for industrialisation had four elements available which were to have; cheap raw materials, labour, energy, as well as cheap and accessible information and communication technology initiatives.
“Without these four, you cannot look into transition to a new economy,” he said.
“These initiatives are to reduce the cost of doing business in the country so that we can stimulate the economy, stimulate the growth of small to medium enterprises, stimulate innovation, promote a digital economy.”