Political parties campaign on promises. More jobs, improved living standards and, in the case of Guyana, an end to blackouts. That was one of the promises of the current government, yet here we are four years later, the year 2019, and an end to blackouts seems nowhere in sight.
To be Guyanese living in our beloved country often feels like we are second or even third-class citizens of the world; like it should be natural to accept that our lives will be laden with suffering and inconveniences. However, we do not have to accept that. We are more than mere subjects of any regime who must accept and be satisfied with living in undesirable conditions.
Maybe as a child I never thought there would ever be an end to blackouts. I was born in the 80s and grew up in the 90s and it seemed like the just the norm. But certainly as an adult, having experienced life in other countries where there are no power outages except in circumstances like natural disasters, I have come to expect that an end to blackout in Guyana should not be a hope for tomorrow, a possibility for the next year or a maybe in the next decade. The time has long passed when we should have resolved this problem.
In the days of the Guyana Electricity Corporation (GEC), there were long days and nights of blackouts. But fast forward to 2019, under Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), what is different? Many may have graduated from kerosene lamps or flambeaus to generators or battery-powered lighting sources, but is the GPL any better than the GEC of what we should have been looking back at now and referring to as the dark days?
Well, perhaps we are a little better off now. In many areas, the frequency of blackouts certainly has decreased, but there are some areas that experience regular power outages. When one is sitting in blackout, hot and irritated in June of 2019, it does not feel like we have made a lot of progress. And while yes, some of us are fortunate to have our generators, I am quite sure the majority of Guyanese are still relying on candles, kerosene lamps and flambeaus when the lights go out at nights.
The Guyana Power and Light is currently engaged in a Power Utility Upgrade Programme (PUUP). The upgrade targets 85 communities and is funded by a US$65million European Union (EU) grant and a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The phases of the project include excavation and pole planting, stringing of conductors, electrical installation and installation of smart meters and many areas have already benefited from the upgrade.
Part of the reason for the upgrade is that GPL was regularly experiencing technical and commercial losses; technical losses because of an aged distribution system and overburdened network, and commercial losses from unauthorized connections and estimated billing. The aim of the PUUP is to improve the overall efficiency of the system by reducing the level of electricity losses and upgrade the electricity network in priority areas in regions 3, 4, 5 and 6.
While GPL stands to benefit by reducing technical and commercial losses, customers should enjoy improved quality and quantity of power and reduction in the amount and duration of power outages.
Certainly, over the last few weeks there have been an increase in blackouts. We have had to endure blackouts for eight, ten, twelve and more hours. It does not alleviate the frustration of the people that many of the blackouts are scheduled. Frankly, I think it is laughable that we have blackout timetables. Do they do that in other parts of the world? Scheduling blackouts is scheduling the inconvenience, the anger, frustration and disappointment of thousands of Guyanese. And while some may argue that it is better than unplanned blackouts, we are also experiencing those. Scheduled or not, the Guyanese people are tired as our patience is exhausted.
It might not be that GPL is completely incompetent. The institution is dealing with its challenges, but the people really do not care about reasons behind the blackouts; whether it is to facilitate repairs, load shedding, line maintenance or faults with the cables, we just want uninterrupted power supply because it is 2019 and the issue should have been resolved ages ago.
The Amaila Falls hydroelectric project fell through in 2013, when it was not unanimously voted for in parliament. There were issues with the access roads which collapsed in many places after millions of US dollars were spent. There were also questions about the Guyana Power and Light readiness and the cost.
It is believed that solar and wind are the way of the future and cheaper than hydroelectricity. Whatever the issues or resolutions, the Guyanese people simply no longer desire to have blackouts be a part our lives. Blackouts affect productivity. In some cases, equipment is damaged. Many people have to sleep with fans or air conditioning because of the heat and so often sleep is affected for those who do not have a generator. More people might be emboldened to commit crimes on blackout nights.
Guyanese are a very humble people. We do not riot and even when we do protest, we do it peacefully. Governments have been able to sit in office and not fulfill promises or turn a deaf ear to the people because we have allowed them to. Yes in the age of social media, we are more vocal in voicing our grievances, but still we are a people who are living in a potential First World country, where many of our citizens would eat bricks if they were edible, would engage in self destruction if not for family and friends, or would run away if they could. Well, many have run away. It is estimated that more Guyanese live outside of Guyana.
The Guyanese people are tired of the excuses of the GPL. We do not want an end to blackouts in 2020, we want it now. I am still puzzled as to how nations with millions of people and much larger than Guyana manage to keep their lights on, but here, with our population of less than a million, after 53 years of Independence, we still are forced to post angry statues on social media, write letters to the newspaper or simply sit in the dark and worry or cry because we missed a deadline because the computer shut down, we missed an important call because our phones went dead or we were forced to throw out food because it spoiled. When will we permanently see an end to blackouts? It is time.
