PRIME Minister Samuel Hinds said, Wednesday, that, contrary to the perception by the Opposition political parties that the move by Government to integrate Linden into the general electricity grid is due to the voting pattern of Lindeners at the last national elections on November 28, 2011, the decision was first proposed by the late Leader of the Peoples National Congress (PNC), Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. Speaking at a media conference in his Wight’s Lane, Kingston, Georgetown office, he explained that, for 2012, Central Government took into account all the country’s income, taxes and other revenues and the need for roads, hospitals and other services and allocated $1.865 billion, a reduced sum from the previous years.
According to him: “To make electricity available at the prices charged in
Linden now and to meet the consumption there, the National Budget has, in the past, provided increasing support to customers there. Last year, it was $2.576 billion, which works out to a subsidy of $17,000 per month per residential customer and $204,000 per residential cost.”
He said New Amsterdam (Berbice), that was incorporated into the national grid in the early 1980s, had been enjoying an arrangement similar to Linden.
Government had also argued that the integration of Linden into the general electricity grid was in the pipeline since under the PNC administration.
Mr. Hinds quoted a GUYBAU newspaper, of July 23, 1976, reporting that the late Burnham had proposed that the then Guyana Electricity Corporation (GEC) take over the supply of electric current in Linden.
Differing rates
He said the newspaper had reported Burnham as saying that the differing rates charged for electricity between the East and the West banks will both come under the GEC.
Hinds maintained that Burnham had said the electricity for Linden will be part of the supply for the entire Guyana and that was decided after the then Prime Minister said, following a thorough review of the report on the operations of the Wismar Electricity Corporation, he was not satisfied that it was functioning efficiently.
Further, Burnham had spoken of his dissatisfaction that those who were supposed to pay were not paying, the Prime Minister said.
“Let us understand few things straight. Socialism is not freeness. What we hope to do when you are integrated into the general scheme is to bring you straight under the umbrella of the Guyana Electricity Corporation,” Burnham was reported to have said.
He said, too, that, at the time, he was not sure how much it would cost but Lindeners would have had to pay more than the people in the rest of Guyana.
Hinds said, in the GUYBAU report, Burnham stated:”I do not promise you that you will necessarily get it cheaper than other people, because, as Prime Minister of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, not of the Republic of Linden, get that straight once and for all comrades.”
Hinds said that revelation has thrown, through the window, the argument that Government’s decision to increase the electricity tariff in Linden is because of the voting pattern at the November 28 elections.
Increased Linden electricity rates first proposed by Burnham – PM Hinds
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