Dear Editor,
Two Sundays ago I had some guests from Trinidad at my church. I observed very early we had a severe blackout on the East Coast Demerara. I had to use our church generator, the blackout lasted from 6 am until 5 pm. In our night service the blackout returned again around 7 pm until 12 midnight. For the past ten years my church has suffered blackouts during Good Friday and Christmas Day services. I see these blackouts frequently. My kids have a lot of SBA’s and research projects to complete and many students are affected writing CXC and CAPE. Worse yet, all my things in my refrigerator spoil.
Where I live here in Agriculture Road opposite NAREI the overhead tank has a real transformer problem. I have lived here for 18 years and the moment we have a slight wind I will hear these transformers go off like a bomb. Whenever I called GPL’s emergency line they are always on voice mail or if they answer it is in a rude manner ‘’No staff available’’. For eighteen years I see GPL’s crew come here sometimes days after to fix these issues on two posts but up to now they cannot instal a proper transformer on these two posts. A neighbour told me it’s 30 years now they have that problem, the moment it rains or a slight wind blows the posts fire off like a bomb.
And this sad scenario is occurring all over Guyana. Many posts are rotten and twisted, some even pose great danger to citizens yet no one from GPL is fixing them. But GPL is very efficient in cutting off your light and removing your meter if you owe them. Since these explosions and constant blackouts, over seven of my computers have been burnt on the inside though I use three forms of protection. I was told by some top technicians and electricians that GPL’s fluctuating power will burn any equipment though it has protections like stabilizers and APC backup.
Now I turn my attention to GTT. In February, this year I noted with interest the technicians from GTT’s Blaze team running lines in my area. They came to my house and took my info to upgrade my service for Blaze near the third week in February. They told me on the 15th of March I will get Blaze let me go and pay the first week in March. I went to pay but was told I won’t be getting Blaze for now as they are not ready as yet. We are now in May and the team has gone into other areas on Agriculture Road to install Blaze for persons who applied after me but up to now I have received no call from GTT. They failed to keep their word and time. I also observed since they are running cables for this Blaze my current DSL with them is extremely slow.
We are just a few weeks away from celebrating our 52nd Independence. I ask the question again what have we achieved after 52 years of independence? Monotonous blackouts, internet failures, high crimes daily, murder, suicides etc.
So what have we really achieved as a nation? How do we compare ourselves to our Caribbean neighbours? We have become a failed state. Cutting ribbons and CoI’s don’t run a nation. Our current administration needs a new vision to govern this nation or we will be left far behind in this era of technology. This nation is a clear case of George Orwell’s Animal Farm and 1984, his classic books of political bigotry and human exploitation. Human selfishness has taken over the minds of our politicians, it’s about time they implement new policies of change or the massive migration will empty Guyana by the time we have the next general election. President Granger will have to step up his game of governance. May God help us.
Yours faithfully,
Reverend Gideon Cecil
