THE recent announcement of the 10 percent reduction in electricity rates by President Donald Ramotar is most welcome news, both for ordinary consumers and members of the business community.The cost of energy has long been a bugbear to the business community, especially those in the manufacturing sector, and for the ordinary consumer, a saving of every dollar always counts.

The drop in rates is concomitant with the plummeting fuel prices on the international market, and recognising the need of being in tune with the needs of the people, the Government is more or less putting measures in place to pass down the benefits to consumers.
The announcement by President Ramotar marked the second step by his Administration to reach out to consumers, the first being the reduction of prices for gasoline and diesel by 30 percent respectively, and the slashing of the price for kerosene by 42 percent.
However, while the trimming of prices for gasoline and diesel was good news, particularly for owners of vehicles, the good gesture by the Government is yet to trickle down to persons who use public transportation.
More needs to be done to get minibus and taxi operators to lower their fares, as the reduction in fuel prices should not be to the benefit of some, but to the benefit of all. And here is where attention also needs to be paid to the dip in electricity rates, which will take effect from next month, given that the announcement was made relatively early.
Electricity is a vital ingredient for keeping businesses in operation, and undoubtedly, it plays a role in influencing the final cost for certain goods. Even though the drop in rates is subject to review after three months of implementation, efforts should be made by businesses to see how they can reduce the prices for certain goods, notably those that require cold storage.
Again, the benefit should trickle down to the consumer, especially the poor, so that measures taken by the Government can achieve their intended objective, which is, to offer relief to the consuming public in light of the drop in fuel prices globally.
However, it should be noted that the drastic fall in fuel prices on the world market will not remain in the current state forever, and Guyana should be looking ahead for ways and means of generating electricity at a lower cost. It was highly encouraging to hear from no less a person than President Ramotar himself that the Government is moving in this direction, and looking to restart work on the Amaila Falls Project. It should be recalled that this project was voted down by the Combined Parliamentary Opposition, the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
The move by the Opposition was tragic for both ordinary Guyanese and the business community. For the ordinary Guyanese, irrespective of which side of the political fence they sit, they were denied the opportunity of enjoying cheap energy. For the business community, the action was akin to someone throwing a spanner in a process that was geared at enabling the expansion of the manufacturing sector.
One hopes that good sense prevails, and the project comes to fruition, as both the AFC and APNU had promised the electorate in their respective manifestos in 2011 to bring hydro-power on stream, in recognition of the need to provide energy at a cheap cost.
They have both failed in their promise to their supporters by virtue of their rejecting the Amaila Falls Project. And what was even worse, their action was ill-disposed to development, which, by extension, did little or nothing to improve the lot of those who entrusted them with representing their interests.
It was also pleasing to hear that attention is being paid to providing regular electricity supply to the hinterland regions, using solar and wind technologies. What this means, in a nutshell, is that businesses in those parts of the country will have an opportunity to grow and develop, and students will be better able to study at night and have access to the Internet like their counterparts in the City and other areas of the country.
It therefore goes without saying that the recent announcements by the Government, coupled with projects in the pipeline, speak of a broad and focused plan to empower the people through the provision of cheap power, and enabling wide access to it.