Heather Robinson
IN 1989 I was appointed to sit on the board of directors of the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited. At that time I was unable to differentiate between a megawatt and a kilowatt. Jamaica at that time was prone to a series of almost daily power cuts, and whenever there was a power cut my office and home phones would ring as persons took out their disgust with the JPS on me. So after many painful exchanges I set up my own defence mechanism. I would never visit any building during a power cut, and I stopped answering my phones during these sometimes very long outages. Secondly, as a member of the board of JPSCo, we would have to work to reduce power cuts and increase its generating capacity.
Once Derrick Dyer assumed the position of leadership in JPS, with Earl Richards as chairman, the board, management and staff worked relentlessly to make Jamaica a brighter place. Mr. Dyer was always available to respond to the smallest problem from a blown street light to a transformer on fire at midnight on Mandela Highway. You could call him about anything, and know that with the assistance of his staff the matter would be dealt with.
'NEW JPS'
Now I am not so sure what the 'new JPS' is about. They claim it is about 'transforming lives with our energy'. Well, they have lived up to that commitment in a real way, as there is not a single Jamaican - except perhaps those who still steal electricity - who believes that this transformation has been beneficial to them. Neither is there a Jamaican who has got a light bill in the last three months who is feeling any good energy towards the JPSCo.
In 1992 an error was made with JPSCo bills, and then Prime Minister Michael Manley promptly recalled every bill. At that time JPSCo insured its distribution lines, generating plants and offices. Now we are being asked to be the providers of insurance for a company that is no longer wholly owned by the Jamaican people. The disadvantages of having a foreign entity in charge of our power are glaring. It appears that each month a different system is used to calculate bills, which explains why bills have moved in some cases by 200 per cent.
The Office of Utilities Regulation is right about one thing. Jamaicans have lost all confidence in the JPS. To truly transform our lives therefore, the OUR has the responsibility to behave as OUR true guardians.
APPROPRIATE REPRESENTATION
Persons who are elected as Members of Parliament have several responsibilities to those who elected them. Constituents expect to see you, and be able to explain their needs so that appropriate representation can be made in Parliament on their behalf. It follows therefore that MPs are expected to attend sittings of Parliament and its committees to carry out the mandate of the people, or at the least to be present when matters of national importance are being discussed. This will assist in the MP being properly informed.
So when an MP publicly demonstrates his contempt of the parliamentary process by not attending, constituents and party members and supporters must begin to ask questions. Why would such a person want to offer themselves for the presidency of the People's National Party, and the Prime Minister of Jamaica, if Parliament is so unimportant that it does not merit his attendance? Contempt is expressed in many ways. One such is by not attending Parliament even when the Prime Minister made his presentation during the Budget Debate. Dr. Karl Blythe must know that delegates will remember these things when asked to determine who leads, as well as the many anti-government remarks made recently in Central Manchester.
DEVASTATION
Have you been watching the devastation caused by 'Katrina' in the United States? Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink indeed. It made me think about our recent encounters with hurricanes Dennis and Emily, and how lucky we are here in Jamaica. The USA is a First World country and up to the time of writing this column, they seemed to be having difficulty putting systems in place to assist those in real need, which is thousands of persons.
So even with the transforming energy of the JPS, the MP who does not attend sittings of Parliament but wants to lead the PNP and Jamaica, we have a lot to give God thanks for. We live in Jamaica, and happily so.
Heather Robinson is a life underwriter and former Member of Parliament.
