A New Year has begun and consumers are looking for improvements in their way of life. Of the three utilities, Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has been the most inconsiderate to consumers during 2008. GPL has had a long innings. I have criticized ad nauseam the charge of 90 units for the use of a refrigerator in the home. The charges for other electrical equipment seem reasonable but should be verified by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). It is time for the PUC to protect consumers from the GPL.
Let us look at one instance. A consumer who normally receives a bill for about $5000-$6000 receives a bill for one month’s supply of electricity for $65000. She goes to GPL’S Main Street office to enquire the cause for the vast increase. She is told that she has to pay $19000 and the remainder in instalments or she will be disconnected. With the fear of disconnection she pays $l9000 and signs a contract to pay the remainder in instalments. That is the end of the matter. There is no appeal committee or redress. Over and over again this occurs to customers who are greatly dissatisfied and do not get the assistance they deserve.
Years ago, under different management the clerks at the electricity corporation were instructed that when a bill did not comply with the normal charges it should be withdrawn and an enquiry made about the reason for the change. This kind of service is still needed.
Then we have the Landlord and Tenants Act which favours the tenant and not the landlord. So landlords, many of them depending on their rents for their livelihood are left with rents owing. The problems in guest homes are many. Let me cite a few. A tenant moves out of his bedroom and leaves a padlock on the door and no forwarding address or telephone number. No notice can be served on him and no rent is received. This can continue for months until the landlord takes action by removing the padlock.
Case two: a tenant moves out of his bedroom but leaves the padlock on the door indicating that he is still in occupation. When someone decides to look over the bedroom wall it is found that the man has removed his belongings and is no longer in occupation.
Tenants who drink heavily always create problems in a home and the landlord has difficulty in removing them as other guest houses appear to know of their addiction to liquor and refuse to accommodate them.
In case the tenant owes rent for a few months the landlord may take him to court, but has the extra expense of employing a lawyer. Let us say the tenant owes $40000. The magistrate will ask him how much he can afford to pay. He will say $10000. The magistrate accepts that. The man pays the $10000 and that is the end of the matter.
In the New Year it is hoped that more attention will be given to women’s cricket. I have an ongoing dispute with the Guyana Cricket Board about the attention paid to women’s cricket. When a woman’s team was leaving Guyana for a Caribbean tournament a promise was given that more attention would be paid to the training of women as a Vice President of GCB to overlook this aspect of the game. We have noticed in the press that a Guyanese was selected for the women’s Sri Lanka tournament but we do not know whether schoolgirls are receiving as much attention as schoolboys. We keep pressing that there is a need for young women to participate in games. Hockey is fine but attracts those who have spare cash. It is not for the unemployed or underemployed woman. So in 2009 let us have more action for women and girls in cricket. Let us be assured that government funds for cricket are equally divided between male and female.
It is hoped that in the early months of 2009 Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited will be able to install a workable telephone system in Region Two, Essequibo coast. The system used there has failed and consumers are dissatisfied that they have to pay for ID, call waiting and other additional services although their telephones are not working.
So we look forward to changes in 2009.
