Dear Editor,
I recently travelled to Berbice to visit my relatives and friends. When I arrived there I was greeted by blackouts which made it difficult for me to watch some cricket, and worse, in the heat of the day to acquire a piece of ice from a shop or something cold to drink. I left Berbice about six in the afternoon and noted with interest that the blackout continued from # 19 Village all the way down to Mahaica on the East Coast of Demerara.
The journey was horrible because driving in the dark from West Berbice to Mahaica on a very lonely and dark road makes it difficult for the driver. Several times he had to stop or drive very slowly because he was unable to see the road ahead, which had bushes and many turns. There were cows, donkeys, goats and sheep on the road, and at the end of the Berbice bridge there is another eyesore and recipe for accidents.
When I arrived home the lights were on, but not long after that the blackout came. Frequent blackouts have been the order of the day where I live on the East Coast. Sometimes they will last as long as twelve hours, and then the lights will come on with very high or low voltage that can burn your TV, computer, fridge, etc.
I sometimes wonder what the purpose of GPL is in this country. What are their goals, aims and objectives for this nation? The increase in blackouts causes residents to lose business in the city and even the sick are affected in the hospitals, and we are enduring this after 45 years of independence. Residents are sent enormous light bills for electricity they never consumed. No wonder every day in every GPL office residents have to cuss and behave really badly, although they still get no justice.
I noticed the light bill I paid recently increased by 80%, which I found ridiculous considering it was for electricity I had never consumed. In most cases the salary earned by the average man is going on electricity, water and phone bills.
As for water, the pressure is often poor and can’t fill a small bowl eight inches high. Thus residents are forced to pump water which adds to their electricity bills and blood pressure. Constant blackouts mean no water, and when the electricity comes on the water is turned on. No wonder the passport office is filled every day because our Guyanese people are fed up with the deplorable conditions in which they have to live.
Students, teachers and office workers have to go to work in unpressed clothes, or are unable to take a bath because no electricity means no water and the water comes on at very weird hours, so residents have to go on the hunt for it like a cat hunting for a rat. When will this cat and mouse game of bad politics and poor administration in an age of modern technology come to an end? What’s the use of this free laptop computer per family when there is no electricity to work it? Even if it works, fluctuating voltage could burn it to nothing.
I know of homes which have been burnt down because of voltage fluctuations. I know of people who have been shocked and killed because of high voltage. Who is compensating poor people for their losses and damage due to blackouts every day? Who will compensate market vendors for their spoilt fish, chicken, beef, pork and vegetables?
While residents are suffering in blackouts our members of parliament have their own generators, solar power, bathing pools and vehicles worth millions.
I have listened to the recent budget debate and haven’t heard anything about this sudden rise in blackouts that helps to fuel crime. I haven’t heard about any increase in wages and salaries for public servants from the Finance Minister. I haven’t heard about the reduction in VAT that was promised by our President at the PPP/C political rallies.
Every day the price for basic food items is on the increase and VAT makes it worse. This makes it absolutely difficult for the poor man to survive, hence the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Our old age pensioners are given an increase of $900 dollars in their pension package while our former president is receiving the equivalent of $3M per month.
What has he achieved for this nation to receive such a huge pension. Pensioners are given a pension at age 65, is the former President receiving his pension at 65?
What vision does the present administration have for this country? All the billions they talked about in the budget could make Guyana the wealthiest nation in the Caribbean if the money was properly utilized and accounted for. What visionary plan does our present administration have for the youths of this nation? Our youths have become illiterates, drug pushers and street corner vendors, all because of no vision for them.
V S Naipaul wrote that nothing was produced in the Caribbean. He was absolutely correct, because we haven’t produced anything of economic substance after 45 years of independence. If our existing administration cannot deal with basic things like electricity and water then it’s not possible that they have what it takes to take us higher economically to compare ourselves with the wider Caribbean.
Yours faithfully,
Rev Gideon Cecil
