Bahamas Press announced on July 30th that a mass disconnection exercise by BEC was being carried out on thousands of homeowners. When we revealed that BREAKING STORY some scoffed our revelations, concluding that we were yet again grasping for straws.
Bahamas Press described Hubert Ingraham’s decision to cut off suppliers in the capital in this way, “…. Hubert Ingraham, the prime minister, has always had a penchant for bending over backwards for persons of a pale hue, and never at his personal expense, but at the expense of those who could least afford it—the poor black Bahamian.”
Now after cutting off thousands of single mothers and jobless Bahamians already feeling the pinch of that category five named hurricane Ingraham, the 30 year political destruct (Ingraham) was quoted in the ‘WUTLESS DAILIES’ saying the following as he descended on Inagua. “Far too many Bahamians have been cut off supply [BEC] and are hurting.”
Now imagine that, the man who cut the people light off -now crying crocodile tears – saying people hurting?
Well since our story published online, a petition has surfaced agitating that, “changes must be made to our electricity fuel surcharge….If the Govt. gave BEC a tax break, what happened to it? BEC stated they have to use the oil in their supply before the price goes down….why is the fuel charge still going up?” (The petition website can be found at http://www.petitiononline.com/bec1234/).
Bahamas Press believes that the petitioners are genuine in their call however, they have lost the focus on attacking the real perpetrators of the high fuel surcharge dilemma. FRED GOTLIEB DECIDES WHO PAYS WHAT CHARGE AT BEC AND HUBERT INGRAHAM GAVE THE APPROVAL to THE NATIONAL SUTDOWN WHILST HE OVERSAW SINGLE MOTHERS BEING PUT IN DARKNESS! ADDED TO ALL THIS HERE AGAIN IS SNEAKY EARL DEVEAUX, THE MAN WHO STOPPED AND TERMINATED ALL THOSE CONTRACTUAL WORKS, NOW THE MINISTER FOR BEC! So if there be any removal, it should begin with removing Hubert Ingraham, with his 30 years of political disaster here in The Bahamas. He and his ‘cripple brother’ have been in power for far too long now, and its time for the country to say goodbye to them both! WE NEED CHANGE!
Just as we stated back in our July 30th release when this massacre against the poor began, we make no apologies for what may sound like a prejudicial approach to how Hubert Ingraham deals with Bahamians. It cannot be coincidence that mostly, if not all, black and poor Bahamians are being annihilated on all fronts by the policies set forth by Hubert Ingraham.
Bahamas Press demands that the prime minister reverse this decision and turn those poor black Bahamians lights back on, based on what they can afford to pay.
When Bradley Robert headed BEC, electrical bills were reduced by 50% and the entire Bahamian population felt the ease at the food store and in the consumer markets. However just after May 2nd 2007, bread moved from $2 TO $4 AND SO DID EVERYTHING ELSE INCLUDING THE FUEL SURCHARGE AT BEC. Some consumers bills have moved up by 300% and all Hubert Ingraham could say is simply this, “Far too many people are hurting.” Yeah, thanks Ingraham!
WOW! I see where you are coming from and I understand, but I still feel they running BEC to slack, you have businesses that are making money with high outstanding bills and before they cut them off, they are cutting poor people lights off. Maybe, if they privatize everybody would be treated fairly. It might not be as bad as we think. Cable Bahamas is a private company, trying to make a profit too, when you don’t pay your cable bill they will disconnect you too. We just have to put priorities first.
WOW you are right !! We will probably be doomed if they sell BEC. Especially to some White Knight who never seen a poor day in his life.
Kim, imagine your only choice for electricity is from a company who is only concerned with profit and doesn’t have to worry about elections every 5 years. At least now we know if we make enough noise, the government will do something eventually or we can vote them out.
WOW! I don’t know what will be worse, because they cutting of poor people light right now. You really believe it could get worse than this? That’s scary!!!!
To make it worst, they want to sell B.E.C.! What you think will happen when it is privatized, with no competition, with a managment who have to answer to owners who only concerned with profit? Y’all think people being disconnected now, Nassau will be in darkness at night and the family islands will be worse.
Trust me Kim, PLPs and FNMs are hurting big time at the hands of this government. You are not alone !! We all getting these ridiculous light bills and we cant do anything about it until this wutless government decides to free us from bondage.
Drama King thanks for letting me know we all in this together, cause when I received my electricity bill I does feel like I in it by myself, cause only me ones does have to find the money to pay it. Sometimes, I do feel like the people who vote these people are rich people and they can afford to pay their bills, which is why they don’t seems to see anything wrong with what is going on.
All a we in this ting together. Lets face it….it aint PLP or FNM its ALL Bahamians suffering at the hands of this government.
Snappie This is not funny at all, cause people who did not vote for that torch still have to suffer along with those who vote for it. If only the ones who was following the torch had to pay these high electricity bills, I would not feel so bad. We all have to suffer with them. The innocent always have to suffer for the guilty. That aint fair!!!!!!!
the electricity bill is now a matter of trust the red shirt of the torch should light up their life the people wanted it so stop complaining and pay your BEC Bill haha hehe this is what you voted for so stop crying and pay up
GCF if Leslie Miller goes to the FNM he will be kicked out in 2 days after he starts showing all of them their sins and speaking out about their wrongs AND telling the chief he wrong.
Big News: Mr. Leslie Miller, I do not know the part you play in that Big Super Market, of Harold Road (TWD High Way), but me and my family went there today and I way VERY impress with the prices.
What really impressed me more were the PEOPLE from every race, creed & colour, old, young, and they even have wheel chair for the cripple!!
Today’s shopping, way better than a trip to Wal-Mart in Miami.
I see why Mr. Ingraham wants you on board. He knows you are a true “CHAMPION OF THE PEOPLE”.
Thank you Elcott, this is what I was talking about. What happened to the promise and the break that would be in our pockets.
BEC tax holiday is no picnic for consumers
In his 2008/2009 budget communication, the Prime Minister proposed a two year tax holiday for BEC amounting to a 17% rebate on the cost of imported fuel. He suggested that this tax holiday would translate into significant savings to Bahamian households. He further stated that these tax concessions were the most important in recent history. To date, the empirical data from BEC do not support the expressed policy intents of the government. Specifically, Prime Minister Ingraham had this to say:
“The tax holiday afforded to BEC for a 2 year period in this Budget is designed to slow the continued increase in energy surcharge passed on to customers by BEC. Additionally, the 2 year tax relief now being given should ease BEC back to a position of financial soundness.
We expect that the relief given to BEC for two years on customs duties and what was stamp tax amounting to 17% overall, will allow BEC to limit any further fuel surcharge. The impact on household’s incomes and savings could be significant.
As with consumer retail items, we will also monitor BEC pricing closely so as to ensure that any further fuel surcharge increases are limited by the amount of the concessions given to BEC on Stamp Tax.
The reductions in the customs duties in the 2008/09 are among the most important tax concessions granted to families in the recent history of this country”.
Further, the Minister of State with responsibility for utilities promised significant relief by August of this year. He and his government argued that the significant increase in the cost of electricity was due to the hike in oil prices and beyond the control of the government and BEC. To add perspective to this, between May and July of this year, BEC increased its surcharge from 21.2 cents per kilowatt hour to 24.8 cents per kilowatt hour, or 3.6 cents. One can only imagine what the surcharge increases over the past eighteen months were. During the last three months, BEC has benefitted from revenue windfalls on two fronts: Firstly, a 17% tax concession on duty and stamp tax on imported oil, and secondly, a significant reduction (some 30%) in the price of oil on the international market. It is important to note that BEC pays the oil companies current market prices on consignment. BEC carries no inventory and their benefits from global price reductions are immediate. Having said that, it is disappointing and unsatisfactory to consumers to learn that during the August 2008 billing cycle, BEC passed on a paltry one cent per Kilowatt hour to its valued customers. I dare say that monopoly has its privileges.
If the policy intent of the government was to focus on the balance sheet of BEC rather than facilitating the “impact on household’s incomes and savings”, they should have said so.
Suffice it to say editor, BEC is enjoying one hell of a “tax holiday”, but the empirical data shows that consumers across the board must work overtime to pay for this holiday.
Yours etc.;
Elcott Coleby
Mention alternative energy and GB Power starts to tremble. C’mmon and get with it, it’s not too late.
Thats something we dont have to think hard on, Tristan. It would have worked perfectly. Think on this though…..in this great budget with all these tax cuts etc, the government supposedly gave BEC some big tax concessions that were suppose to put BEC in a position to reduce our bills. The concession is supposedly in place, however, everyone is still getting big bills and being disconnected.
What I dont understand is if the government receives more that $1.00 per gallon that is sold in this country, where does the money go?
The Government makes a killing on taxes from fuel. The FNM would have my support if they had not come up with those empty tax promises and cut the fuel taxes even if they didnt change anything else. cutting the tax on fuel would have us to save in alot of areas that is related to fuel. Think about that…..
I never received it and thanks for giving me the name of the person who started it.
I have recieved the petition myself and the name of the person who started it, Darcy Moss, is quite clearly marked. They have now changed it to an online petition.
Morehands I think what you are saying makes a lot of sense. I havent seen the petition but if its being circulated then we should know who is circulating it. It could very well be a set up for victimization.
I just read something intresting. IF you have a 3 ton central air system it burns 65 amps campared to a ductless system that burns 12amps. Thats the difference. Those central air systems are not energy savers. That why these businesses are be hit hard. They have to change their systems or pay high cost.
Try not using Central ac for a month. Before you turn it on go out to the meter and write down the kilowatt hours and then turn it on, use it and when you turn it off after use then go back to the meter and write down the numbers. If those numbers jump a big step then it is you central ac burning current. Stop turning off your meter switch everyday. Do you have a dryer for clothes. Remember how a central ac works. It sucks up all the hot air first in the ducts. You might need to get your house insulated or you can buy a solar fan for you roof that with suck all the heat out the ceilings.
Take your meter reading your self to bec and tell them calculate that. remember keeping it real when you pull the switch everything stops. So when you get back home and turn it on your fridge will have to start working overtime to freeze, it operate like a ac. Cental ac burns alot of amps maybe you have to replace that with ductless
The typical central AC system consumes more than 2,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. And older models, not known for being energy-efficient, become even less so as they start showing their age, so it may be time to retire your long-lived system. How can you tell? Think about a replacement if it’s more than 10 years old, or if your rooms are cooling down either too much or too little. Consider it a major red flag if your system is getting noisier, needs frequent repair, or is causing a steady rise in your electricity bills even when it’s not steamy outside.
i use only fluorescent bulbs & solar lights outside
Keeping it real. When you are home what light bulb are you using? Regular burn alot of current. Believe me 60 watts on one light bulb for 8 hours.
What type of AC unit you use? Ductless is ideal because they burn 20 amps compare to the 60 central burns. Check you kilowatts on your meter. Write down the number each morning and you will see what you burning in 24hours. If you notice a big change in the number you doing some wrong.
i have the same light bulbs i never turn on my porch light or back light, i unplug all the electronics when not in use while i’m home, turn off the breaker when leaving the house, i have centural air which i turn on at 10pm and off by 12am (just to cool the house down)i have switched to a propane water heater about 6 months ago, all of my appliances are “energy savings” and yet i have not seen a decrease in my bill. my husband & i set up a camera at our meter box for 2 years now and we check it daily beleive it or not NO ONE HAS EVER CAME BY TO READ THE METER OR EVEN “SCAN IT FROM THE ROAD” (BECAUSE THATS THE NEW THING)but we always receive a bil in the mail and another thing I had another meter added to the house for in the event i wanted to adda water pump (i haven’t added the pump yet)now the meter reats 000000 but i received a bill for it in the amount of $600 bec told me that was an “estimate” on what thay think the usage would be – what the hell is going on in this country
I hear Alfred Sears on Tv talking about Inagua Sciene and home Economic lab have been condemed for years and education have not fix it. I miss something eh. Wasn’t he the minister about 2years ago?
The Bahamas is a expensive place to live. Check the food stores. I have a house and my bill is 97 dollars a month. I change all the damm bulbs and timer on heater. Making sure that light are off in rooms that are not occupied. The world is hurting not only nassau. If you going to come out on top you have to change your lifestyle a bit. I agree it is hard but Bahamian have to learn how to adjust to times and stop waiting on these bullshitters to do something to change what is happpening. The USA government can’t bail out their citizens what you think about the FNM. We vote them in so we have to ride with them and we voted the PLP out for a reason. I personally think that everytime something don’t go our way we cry government need to go. Everything is not perfect, check the USA. PLP is not the answer, FNM is not the answer. We the Bahamians have to show those jokers that we are serious about change because at the end of the day when they lower these bec bill we ga be right the shouting FNM then done it again.
I live on beneby road and my light was disconnected along with every single house through this corner. In one month my bill was $400 i am almost never home i always turn off my breakers when leavng the house and i have a propane water heater sooooooooo y the heck is my bill so high. we definately need change.
I received that BEC petition email lots of times and seen it online as well. I notice that the originator of the petition remains anonymous while everyone else adds their names. In this small-minded, victimizing society – HELL NO, NOT MOREHANDS!! I would join the petition but after I know who I am following. If the blind lead the blind, they all end up in a ditch.
I wish I only knew what my BEC bill is. I haven’t received a bill in two months and only use online payments to pay what I think it may be.
Like GCF, I cut off my heater, use only fluorescent bulbs, turn off my porch light after 11pm, cut off the TV and lights whenever I step out the room for a while, downgraded to a smaller microwave oven, unscrew the light bulb out the fridge since my kitchen light was already on anyway and replace my toaster oven with a regular small bread toaster. I do still burn A/C in my bedrooms at night (it too hot to sleep without it). And when I used to receive a bill from BEC through these steps alone, I saw that there was a significant decrease in my monthly usage.
We all know that the only man for the job is none other than Perry Gladstone Christie…. Say what you about his character you naysayers but he had it right…..
Tristan you make a LOAD Of sense. Now we just need to convince the 30-year greedy politicians to bow out.
Kim I try my best to be a good employer. I always remember that I have two sons coming up and they too will be in the working world at some point and I would like people to treat them with decency.
GCF you must live alone or have some dirt on the BEC G.M. why your light bill so low….lol….
I believe that we made a mistake by not standing up and fighting for good leadership in this country. When we could begg some one to come out of retirement just to beat Mr. Christie is a big shame and lack of interest for The Bahamas. The bahamas is not about Mr. Ingraham or Mr. Christie. It is for you and me and we need to pray and seek and promote those who we know will be good leaders in The FNM, PLP and BDM. I think we need to give the leader of the BDM a chance in Parliament, Tommy Turnquest to me is the most responsible MP we have in terms of political maturity, and the MP for St. Thomas more and other people who are not in front line politics. We need to encourage them that the 30 year reign of Ingraham Christie and Co is over and Change for something we can believe in. I pray the next election will be a battle of new leaders with new ideas for our Country.
Drama King, I wish all employer had your understanding, I believe your business is doing well or it will be bless in the future. That is very kind. I hope these other employer are taking notes from you.
okay thanks for the tips and I will definitely be using them to save more money. And you are right about some bahamians confusing recession and recess. Here’s why I asked the question earlier. A young woman approximately 35-43 had a loan at the bank and defaulted on her payments (almost 4 months). She was called by a collection officer to discuss her lack of payments and to see what the bank could do to maybe help her. The collection officer tried to explain to the young woman how to budget/prioritze. This was necessary because it seemed that the young lady was a bit ignorant to the fact. So in the buget the young lady said her hair style needs to be budgeted out as well. The loan officer said yes, thats true. At that point, she noticed the young lady was wearing a very expensive lace wigs which at the time cost $500. So the collection officer said when you are behind on your bills and you are trying to prioritize/budget you can’t be spending $500.on hair styles. The young lady stood up with great rage in her eyes and said with a shout “EXCUSE ME, THIS LACE WIG IS $800.00!” NOW YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. Now this is a true story.
Bolo, your friend told you, the PLP was caught off guard on May 2nd, 2007?
No man, in my opinion, Ingraham is the politician of the century. You must give him credit for that. Ingraham, ONLY Ingraham, dismantled the MIGHTY PLP in eight (8) short months. For those who know politics, that’s A HUGE FEAT.
Fop.lady, It forced me to find a way to beat the system. And it is working for me so far.
Citizens,
I’m actually reviewing my intelligence with reference to answering “what made me vote with confidence on this “trust” agenda Government?”. One of the PM’s mistakes was to name Boards and Chairman, who don’t worth sh–. Checkout our BEC, BTC, NIB, Bahamasair, W&S, etc.. These Boards have Pastors and respected Business People who are outnumber and overwhelmed by dumb party officials with no business or leadership history. They were instructed to victimize and blackball many of our Public Servants.
The most unpleasant part is the PLP party WORST. They were caught off guard on May 2nd, 2007 before they could fill their pockets. A Business Associate and Friend of the PLP told me (drunk and in confidence), that Perry instructed them not to pursue any victimization cases, because Hubert assure him, every battles must have Casualties. WOW
We need a massive march in this country for all those Citizens, who have no confidence in the Government and its “WUTLESS” Opposition.
Peace.
This
One question. Do you think the reduction of fuel surcharge and the cost of living will actually cause people to prioritize? Just a question. I am wondering…..
BIG SECRET: Save money by turning off your water heater. Didn’t you notice hot water is coming out the city water line, with out you using your water heater?
I have not use A/C this year. Therefore, my electricity bill is only $98 this month. I had to make some sacrifices, and now I am saving $152 compare to my last year BEC bill.
On another note, Bahamians are wondering why Americans arrivals are down; unlike Bahamians, when then the USA Government tells there people a recession is on the way, there people cut back on vacations and unnecessary spending. But Bahamians seems to be confused with the words: RECESSION and RECESS. In these critical times most Bahamians are hoping on planes and headed to Florida to spend. That is not wise in these times. Most of these travel freaks comes back expecting someone to bail him or her out.
Governments, must find a better way to teach people how to save money.
I heard Primeminister on the radio the other morning. My thoughts then echoed this article. BP man you right on it.
What kills me about this FNM government is the fact that they will pull a knife on you, cut your throat and then give you a band-aid to put on it. They fire honest hard working people, raise the BEC rates, they ruthlessly cut off all overdue consumers then Ingraham want talk about something needs to be done because to many poor people suffering without electricity! Give me a break man, more of the same. Those fools out there will probably call him a hero for lowering their light bill when he raised it in the first place.
Whoa BP !! This one nearly put me to tears. It is truly a sad day here in our Bahamas….or rather Ingraham’s Bahamas.
Two of my employees told me today that their lights were turned off and I had to advance them monies to pay their light bills IN FULL.
This FNM government is destroying our Bahamas. They have to go. But who is there to take their place??
AMEN AND AMEN !!!!!!!!!!!!
HATS OFF TO BRADLEY ROBERTS… THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SELECT EVIL OVER GOOD.
YOU SUFFER WITH AND FOR THEM
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