THE government correctly has offered to put on hold the July 1 deadline on which the electricity tariff hike was scheduled to take effect in Linden, and in consultation with officials from Region 10 and the political opposition, has moved to establish a technical team to brainstorm options to the electricity tariff system.
This is indeed a significant move and shows that government is willing to be flexible and make compromises in the interest of stability in Linden and the entire country.
According to Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon who addressed the public in the first of a series of daily Office of the President media updates on current national issues.
“This review would include all available and practical options and the attendant implications, financial and otherwise,” the HPS said.
Also, he said the government undertook to have members of the technical team named with collaboration from both sides and the team would draft terms of reference that would be agreed upon by both sides.
According to Dr. Luncheon, the various positions advanced by the government have been submitted to Region 10 Chairman, Sharma Solomon, for a response.
Under the new electricity structure, Lindeners were slated to receive the first 50 kwh per month at the existing prices.
The full cost for electricity in Linden is $75-80 per kwh. However, even after the first 50 kwh, bauxite pensioners will pay $50 per kwh, others $50 and commercial and industrial outfits will pay $65.
Dr. Luncheon stated that the July 23 meeting with the government and Region 10 officials and opposition politicians was candid with both sides committed to finding solutions to resolving the outstanding issues in Linden.
During dialogue with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) in April on the national budget, the government committed to resuscitating the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) that succeeded the Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP).
The government encouraged the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in Region 10 in consultation with the community to submit by the end of August 2012 its list of priorities for economic activities beneficial to the Linden community and Region 10 in the short, medium and long-term.
The government also undertook to have the Ministry of Agriculture work with farmers of West Watooka and other parts of Linden to realise the potential in agriculture.
The establishment of a microcredit scheme for the region along the lines of the Women of Worth (WOW) programme and a commercial bank to facilitate the processing of loans for Linden and Region 10 specifically also formed part of the commitment.
These are all positive initiatives and it is hoped that the people of Linden will allow for good sense to prevail and the restoration of peace and normalcy in the mining community.
A confrontational and destructive approach to the electricity tariff issue will not bring any benefit to anyone. On the contrary it has the potential to bring our country to the brink and reverse all the gains and advancement we have made in recent years.
However, Lindeners must understand and appreciate that subsidized electricity for them is not sustainable. Therefore, inevitably, it will have to go. What is negotiable is the manner in which it is phased out and the government has demonstrated its firm commitment in this regard.
At the same time, Lindeners must not be allowed to be misled by the political opposition who are bent on using the issue to fashion their narrow and selfish political agenda and in the process making Lindeners sacrificial pawns.
The government should be commended for taking a flexible approach to the situation, but it must be understood that it takes two hands to clap and, therefore, while the government has indicated its willingness to compromise and dialogue, the political opposition and its supporters must also demonstrate a similar willingness or else we may still end up at a stalemate which will be a most retrograde development.
On this note, it seems that the political opposition is determined to remain in a confrontational and destructive mode because, at its recent march, which began at the Square of the Revolution, one of its speakers urged supporters to remain on the streets until the proposed increased electricity tariff is off the table.
Our country has had more than enough of political upheavals and does not need any more.
What we need is peace and stability so that our country can continue on the road to socio-economic advancement which it has been experiencing for several years now.
But this can only be achieved through an uncompromising demonstration of patriotism, spirit of compromise, common sense and statesmanship by all political stakeholders.
Any other approach will only lead to instability and retrogression which we cannot afford at any cost.