Dear Editor,
In response to my SN letter of March 27 saying that Prime Minister Sam Hinds had neglected his primary responsibilities in relation to Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Teri Phang attempted to portray him as the PPP government Minister who has overseen the investment of billions of dollars in rehabilitation and modernization of Guyana’s energy sector including GPL, and there had been a drastic transformation (‘Hinds has overseen the modernization of the country’s energy sector,’ SN, April 1).
Since 1992 the PPP government and by implication PM Hinds have never produced a comprehensive strategic plan to develop the energy sector and in the process satisfy Guyana’s growing electricity needs, as GPL has been increasing/upgrading its generating and transmission capacity only when a crisis situation developed, and not to meet any planned or predicted demand to satisfy the domestic and industrial requirements of the country. Construction of the Vreed-en-Hoop power plant to provide an additional 20MW bears this out, as the electricity demands for the Tuschen and La Harmonie housing developments had outstripped supply, resulting in regular breakdowns of GPL and blackouts on the West Coast.
Leguan and Wakenaam Islands have largely been inhabited by East Indian farmers who have been strong supporters of the PPP over the years. During the 1980s the then PNC government through GPL provided the islanders with part-time electricity for the first time. However, the people soon became dissatisfied with the service but nothing was done to upgrade the system until 2014, when because of the forthcoming elections on May 11, the PPP government decided to provide the islands with full-time electricity as an inducement for expected support at the polls from the faithful.
During his tenure, PM Hinds had indeed overseen the government’s investment of billions of dollars on GPL, but instead of making it a reliable and efficient supplier of electricity, the utility has suffered from poor management, become heavily indebted and has been operating from one crisis to the other as it provides its consumers with daily doses of blackouts and breakdowns, not only in Georgetown but on the Essequibo Coast, in Corentyne and elsewhere in the country. PM Hinds in collaboration with his PPP colleagues has made GPL a political football as they approved subsidized electricity for pensioners, Lindeners and others, while spreading the high costs levied for operating the utility and debt servicing to the remaining poor and rich customers alike. He failed to plug the losses of electricity due to thefts and system leakages. Instead of resolving these and the many other problems GPL faced, he shifted his attention to reduce the cost for electricity by exploring other possible less expensive sources – wind, solar and hydropower – but he got nowhere as the decision as to which source should be pursued for development rested with the President and the ex-President who have been calling the shots, and therefore any serious negotiations with power brokers were outside his ambit. In the end he became frustrated as he realized that he was making no headway to develop the energy sector in any meaningful way, contrary to the drastic transformations Teri Phang claimed he made. His make-believe caught up with him as he recoiled into his laid-back temperament of ‘going along to get along,’ which eventually did him in.
Yours faithfully,
Charles Sohan
