AS an average Guyanese, I wish to echo the sentiments that the Hon. Minister of Finance made when he delivered the 2012 Budget in the National Assembly and said that “the prevailing dispensation will test and hopefully prove our resolve as a people, and within this House our respective will to serve as responsible representative of a deserving people, to work together in service to the cause of national development.” I would have liked to think that all of our members of Parliament would have shared the same view, however, to my dismay, I noticed in the Kaieteur News of April 2, 2012 that the AFC is playing politics with the Government’s proposed increase in the Linden Electricity Tariffs.
It is unfortunate that a matter such as this is turning out to be political football by this little opposition party. Already they are claiming that the electricity rate the Lindeners will be paying would sky rocket when the Hon. Minister said, quite clearly in Parliament, that “reforms will be initiated to the tariff subsidy with the aim of giving effect to a progressive alignment of the national rates that are applicable to the GPL grid”. Nowhere in that statement did the Finance Minister say that Lindeners will have to pay the full cost or what percentage of an increase they will have to pay. However the AFC is presumptuous in saying that it would skyrocket as if they have a ‘skyrocket rate’ in their mind for the people of Linden to pay.
I am a strong supporter of electricity subsidies for the people of Linden. I am aware of the depressed state that the community was in under the previous PNC administration. However, after receiving billions in investment from this Government over the past 20 years not only in infrastructure but in water, health, education and jobs, I would think that the people of Linden would also support a small increase in tariff for electricity.
The AFC politicians should tell the people of Guyana that a pensioner does not pay for electricity if they burn under 300kw and if they do burn over 300kw they pay only G$5 per kwh. They should also tell the Guyanese people that residents in Linden pay only G$5 per kwh when the rest of Guyana pays G$64 per kwh.
Given the state of the cost of fuel for GPL and knowing that it is operating in a manner that all Guyanese do not have to feel the full impact of the rising cost of generating electricity, I believe that there should be a national effort to ensure that this company does not run at a loss because then all of us will suffer and the dark days of constant blackouts and going all day without electricity will meet us again. I hope the AFC puts the issues of our country first rather than hurrying to score political points just a couple days after our budget was presented.
Mr. Editor, let me also address a statement that Mr. Ramsaroop made in Linden. According to the Kaieteur news article he claims that “we [Mr. Ramsaroop] have come to ensure that Linden regains its rightful place and get what every other area in Guyana is getting”. I did not know that the people of Linden do not have proper roads, running water and housing. I saw paved streets for the first time in the history of Linden, I saw US$12 million dollar water treatment plants and distribution system being done in Linden and I am also aware of the hundreds of house lots being given out to the people of Linden. So I want to assume that when he speaks of the people of Linden getting what every other area in Guyana gets, he means they should pay the G$64 per kwh. I hope he can clarify what he meant.