The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) is rebranding under a new public relations campaign called, ‘The Rebirth’ aimed at cleaning up its image as well as projecting what the company says are exciting developments in the sector.
Chief Executive Officer Bharrat Dindyal said on Friday that said significant things are happening at GPL to the extent where the old company will fade into the dark. “They are going to be exciting developments, now is the opportune time to rebrand GPL,” Dindyal said. He noted that the company has been on the defensive for too long and that things are going to change, an apparent comment in reference to the ongoing criticisms levelled at the power company about its inability to offer a stable electricity supply.
He said the days of blackouts would eventually fade into memory, but cautioned that the company is in no position to totally end power cuts. However, he said GPL is focused on the maintenance of its networks.
Dindyal told reporters at a media appreciation dinner organized by GPL that it has recruited veteran Public Relations Consultant Ron Robinson to spearhead the new campaign. Robinson will also head GPL’s Public Relations Unit. According to him, GPL is interested in having frank and fair discussions with the press in a new atmosphere of cooperation. The CEO said Robinson commands a lot of respect in the media fraternity and that he joins the company eminently qualified. “… Ron is someone with credibility who understands the business and whose policy is to be frank and forthcoming with all the details. We have done that with some extent in the past,” Dindyal said.
Chairman of GPL Board Winston Brassington briefly referred to the media as an important stakeholder, noting that the dinner was to set the framework so that they can have a more engaging and productive relationship with the press. He said the company is currently facing challenging times, but strategically it was moving in the right direction.
Meanwhile, Robinson said the reason for the new engagement with the press is for the company to help journalists “better understand the technical aspects of our operations”. He said GPL intends to assist the media by identifying personnel who are both trained and qualified to explain and or clear the air on technical matters. He said too that he and Assistant Public Relations Officer at GPL, Shevonne Sears-Murray would be accessible to the media “at all times”.
GPL is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary. Recently, President Bharrat Jagdeo called the spate of blackouts unacceptable but he had also urged citizens to be patient while GPL upgrades its system. Prior to his comment, Brassington had stated that things will get worse before they get better and projected that things would improve next month when it expects its new Kingston station to come on line.
