Load shedding has made life unbearable for many Bahamians

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Press Statement By The Progressive Liberal Party

July 3rd 2011

While residents in New Providence suffer from the blistering summer heat caused by BEC constant load Shedding, the FNM Government continue to play Russian roulette with the welfare of young and senior Bahamians who are vulnerable to the high summer temperatures.

It was Jr Minister Phenton Neymour who assured the Bahamians in mid-2010 that major overhaul of BEC Generators would be executed during the winter season of 2010-11 and the said maintenance only began a few days before summer officially began. Jr. Minister Neymour is now offering the excuse that the delay of the commencement of the overhauls was due to a lack of cash; this is offensive and a deplorable excuse. Thinking Bahamians expect that a caring Government would organize it priorities and would have made the necessary arrangements to insure that electricity, an essential service, was available to residents especially during the blistering summer period.

The Government and its Agencies could have easily reduced its sizable payables to BEC thereby placing the Corporation in a position to fund its maintenance program on a timely basis rather that subject the residents to potential health risk etc. Clearly the government has its priorities terribly misplaced thereby adversely affecting the welfare and well-being of its citizens.

The Progressive Liberal Party demands that the Prime Minister comes clean and tell the Bahamian People the Facts on BEC and to forthwith answer the following questions:

Will the Prime Minister explain why the maintenance on the first major generator at the Clifton Pier Station (CPPS) failed after it was recently returned to service?

Will the Prime Minister provide an explanation on the very serious problem with one of the 40 MW generators at the CPPS?

Will the Prime Minister provide a full explanation why Generators DA9, DA10 & DA 13 are currently generating power at very low levels?

Will the Prime Minister provide full details on the maintenance program scheduled for the CPPS and the Blue Hills Power Station and in the Family Islands?

Will the Prime Minister provide full details on the estimated cost for all maintenance of Generators including the Family Islands and the schedule for same?

The PLP reminds the Prime Minister and his Government of the terrible conditions which currently exist at BEC were virtually the same that existed in 2001(see attached Tribune article dated September 14th 2001)  leading to the General Elections of 2002. The 2007 FNM manifesto promises on BEC affirms the strong state of affairs of the Corporation at that time. The conditions which existed in 2001 under the FNM have returned once again in 2011. A concerned citizen yesterday wrote: “The frequent power outages are becoming unbearable for many of us.” To that we add, “so has the governance of Hubert Ingraham and his FNM Government.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. While Bishop Randy Fraser and his family may be looking forward to these BEC Blackout, because this is when the family would normally jump in their car and head to Pilgrim Baptist Temple in the Kemp Road area to use up the church’s air-condition and enjoy a little sexual gratification, while their children watch him and his wife getting their grove on, this don’t be no picnic for the rest of us, this heat isn’t nothing to play with and these mosquitoes don’t make it no easier, either. Every year, it feel like these mosquitoes getting bigger and bigger. It appear that only the mosquitoes and the Fraser’s Family is be looking forward to these blackouts.

  2. I believe that the time has now come for the government to sell BEC like it did BTC. I know some of you peope at BP vehemently opposed the sale of BTC. But it it now apparent to me that the government(PLP or FNM)is not good at running companies that should be in the private domain. We here in Grand Bahama have our share of challenges for sure; but at least our power stays on 99 percent of the time. The power and water companies here are privately owned. Their services are way better that Water and Sewage and BEC. If the government moves to sell off Water and Sewage and BEC, the same folks who raise a lot of Hell over the BTC sale will no doubt do the same thing over BEC being privatized. Therefore, the government is between a proverbial rock and a hard place.The private sector would do a better job at running BEC.

  4. Firstly…BEC sux. They stink now they stunk under the PLP, the previous FNM and so forth, so none of these bastid politicians should talk. Same politicians complaining about BEC ran a terrible BEC. Same politicians tlaking about terrible educaiton and selling BTC had terrible results and tried to sold BTC.
    Bunch of hypocrites the whole lot of em.

  5. This load sheeding is a bunch of bullshit! Over the past two weeks I have already spent $2,000 plus dollars on repairs to my central a/c, electric water heaters and fridge due to the power surges. Of course, BEC is giving me the run around regarding a credit for my repairs. Pure bullshit!!!!

  6. Maybe if the govt legalized gambling, theyd have the money to revamp BEC by using the taxes they gained….along with tons of other improvements. flowers and sebas making MILLIONS off ya people and the govt is doing anything to stop it so they might as well tax the hell out of them and make some too!

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