Fuelled by the announcement of a hike in electricity rates in Linden starting from July 1, APNU representative Aubrey Norton urged members of the Region 10 community to mobilize themselves to protest against this imposition, at a public meeting held on Friday night in Linden.
“We must mobilize our friends, we must mobilize our children, we must mobilize ourselves to do what we must to ensure that this government does not bring further oppression on us,” Norton told the gathering.
Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh had announced the increase at the reading of the National Budget earlier this year. This move wasfurthered endorsed by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon.
The tone of the meeting, attended by a sizable crowd suggested that residents mobilize themselves for a street demonstration to protest the impending hike. “We will do everything to cooperate with the police but we must use the skills we have to take this government on,” Norton said, in his brief message. Further, he told residents that the government does not have a problem with subsidizing “the problem is subsidizing Linden they are targeting Linden with their political gimmicks.” He also charged residents not to get carried away but to stay focused on the issue and referred to several failed promises made by the PPP/C to bring economic development to Linden.
Meanwhile, in his message, Regional Chairman Kuice Sharma Solomon admonished residents not to pay a dime more than the current cost. “We will not pay not a dime more than we are paying. Not because we don’t want to, but because we can’t,” he said. Solomon said billions of dollars have been spent over a two-year period on infrastructure and the construction of the new hospital in Linden all of which have since crumbled.
According to the speakers, electricity problems are not isolated to Linden as residents of Georgetown and other parts of Guyana have been complaining about the high costs being charged to account for the extensive line loss by GPL. It was said that line loss in Linden from its point of production to distribution was about 17% in 2011. They charged residents to mobilize persons across Guyana to make a statement on or before July 1, noting that the struggle not only speaks to bringing down the cost of power in Linden but nationwide.
Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union President Lincoln Lewis also gave an address at the meeting.
