The opposition PNCR says that Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and the government owe a “proper and credible” explanation for the erratic and unreliable supply of electricity in Guyana.
In a press statement yesterday, the party said that “none of the official statements offered so far have logically explained the daily unscheduled blackouts all over Guyana, from the Corentyne Coast to Essequibo.”
According to the PNCR, in December 2007 when GPL promised Guyanese a ‘Black Christmas’, President Bharrat Jagdeo had made “some grandiose announcements and promises,” and Guyanese were told that new generators had been ordered and would have arrived by special shipment to ensure a bright Christmas.
The nation, the party said further, was also informed that GPL was being reorganized, staff reduced and greater efficiency would have been achieved while a new special maintenance schedule would have been observed.
The PNCR argued that it follows that with increased generators there should have been a greater opportunity to accelerate the maintenance programme, but less than a year later GPL is holding Guyanese to ransom again and businesses are being seriously affected as productive activities are stymied.
The party noted that last week health facilities were adversely affected with Fort Wellington Hospital in total blackout for the entire evening on October 19 and without a functioning generator. On the same day, the PNCR added, the entire Corentyne Coast from No 51 Village to New Amsterdam, the entire West Coast Berbice and East Coast Demerara from Rosignol to Plaisance were without electricity.
The opposition party asked what logical explanation could there be for this state of affairs and queried whether it is that so much unbudgeted money was spent on CARIFESTA X that none was available to purchase fuel? The party also questioned whether it is that the promised maintenance never took place or that there was no money to purchase the spares? The PNCR commented too on GPL’s policy of “indiscriminate dismissals of experienced employees” and suggested that this may have resulted in a shortage of relevant skills that are essential to the effective maintenance of the system.
The party also asked about the “real reasons for the non-completion of the new generator at Kingston” as GPL admitted Wednesday.
A few months ago, the release observed, the PNCR had raised the issue of GPL in Parliament and advocated that in the public interest there should be an investigation. But similar to the ruling party’s behaviour regarding the torture motion, it “rejected the suggestion and commended GPL for the wonderful work that they were doing.”
“Guyanese are today reaping the results of that folly (and) GPL and the government must therefore come clean and let the people of Guyana know the truth,” the PNCR concluded.
