COINCIDENCE in life as in literature, especially when it involves more than two events, is treated with a high degree of suspicion. This is because the normal chain of cause and effect appears to be violated - which frustrates the process of arriving at the truth. This seems to be the case with the Jamaica Public Service's (JPS) power failure last Saturday which plunged the entire island into darkness for up to 10 hours. This followed a series of minor, short-lived blackouts in some areas the day before - all these power outages following close on the heels of the formal announcements that Mirant has served notice on the Jamaican Government of its intention to sell its 80 per cent stake in JPS.
Prime Minister Simpson Miller has ordered a probe into the matter but preliminary conjecture by JPS as to what happened only adds to the confusion of coincidence. It is tentatively assumed that three distinct and unrelated events occurred at the same time to cause the crisis; a trip-out on the Bogue-Duncan transmission line, serious fluctuations throughout the system and, mirabile dictu, two independent suppliers of power to the grid reducing their inputs, according to the JPS. We note also that it does not inspire public confidence when JPS puts forward its communications director and its vice-president of customer operations (good as these two persons may be at their jobs) to explain the problems rather than high officials in the technical and maintenance areas.
Indeed, it was only yesterday, and in newspaper advertisements, that JPS' CEO, Damian Obilgio, chose to address the Jamaican consumers and apologise to his customers. This is hardly an inspiring start to Mr. Obilgio's tenure in Jamaica, short-lived though it may eventually be. We would have thought that given uncertainty and public suspicion of JPS and its parent, Mirant, Mr. Obligio would have wanted to be out front, surrounded by his top technical people, signalling that these firms are not about carpet-bagging, but remain committed, so long as they are here, to Jamaica.
Now, there are questions. For coincidence apart, the public is bound to be concerned as to whether a departing Mirant will exercise the management will and enthusiasm necessary to keep JPS up to the highest operating standards. Certainly the Jamaican economy cannot stand a series of continuing power cuts and the Government is going to have to give serious priority to managing the transition period between Mirant's departure and a new operator - whether the Government itself or a new purchaser of Mirant's shares.
The recent events have also served to reinforce our previous position about the national response to Mirant's decision to sell. As we said before, we believe that private enterprise does a better job of allocating resources and ensuring efficiency and growth. But JPS remains a monopoly power supplier and represents a strategic sector of the Jamaican economy. In that regard, it is incumbent that the Government maintains not only a keen interest in the potential buyers of JPS, but ensure that there is a clear and bankable and efficient development of the business, so critical to the growth of the Jamaican economy.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
