RESIDENTS of Region 10 differ on the proposed increase in electricity tariff, with many denouncing the current protest action which they say severely disrupts their livelihood activities. Those condemning the protest have described it as politically instigated. “I would like to pay the lowest rate for electricity; but really and truly, when you look at it, I wouldn’t mind paying a little bit more seeing that we have been paying so little all these years,” a Region 10 resident said. With the exception of one resident, all those who spoke with the Guyana Chronicle and were against the protest requested anonymity for the fear of being targeted.
Some of the residents expressed support for the protest action, claiming that the PPP/C Administration was out to punish them.
The Guyana Chronicle observed that many of the Region 10 residents were ignorant about the extent of the tariff increases, since they were led to believe that the increases would see them being made to pay more than the rest of the country.
Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, in a special message to residents of the region over the weekend, reminded them that the PPP/C Government is still subsiding electricity in that region.
APNU Leader David Granger had agreed to an increase in the electricity tariff during budget talks with President Donald Ramotar, but subsequently reneged on his position after being accused of a ‘sell-out’.
A teacher at the Mc Kenzie High School said there was merit in the government’s position, admitting to electricity wastage in the region. The teacher is of the view that the situation requires maturity and honesty. “I think it is good that we are still going to pay, for now, less for electricity than the rest of the country,” she said.
A building contractor with whom this newspaper also spoke is of the view that the issue is being misused for political support. “I really have no time with the nonsense APNU is leading these people to do; I am concerned that the people are not being told the truth and that’s why they are blocking bridges. I have a job to do, my children have to go to school and my workers have projects to finish,” the contractor contended.
The lone person who deviated from the request for anonymity, Shakeil, a student, said he was not supporting the protest because it was nonsense.
“I listen to the Regional Chairman, Mr. Sharma, and I listen to Mr. Samuel Hinds, and I know that we Lindeners are not being truthful to ourselves.  We must thank God for all the years of cheap electricity; but with the global increase in oil prices, sooner or later all this was bound to change. I would have had a problem if the government was charging us more light bill than the rest of the country, but that is not the case.”
Prime Minister Hinds said that the subsidy is not being totally removed all at once, and that the most vulnerable, the ones with the least money are being protected. He added that each household customer will receive 50 kilowatts of electricity each month at existing prices.
He pointed to the electricity consumption in Linden households which, he said, far exceeds that of other parts of Guyana. “….there is great potential for Lindeners to reduce consumption of electricity to between half and one-third of what is used today, and in so doing, reduce the amounts on their electricity bills,” he posited.
The protest is expected to continue today.