The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE


Tribune Chief Reporter


lrolle@tribunemedia.net

ELECTRICITY bills for Grand Cay, Abaco, residents have been wiped to zero two weeks before the general election after Prime Minister Philip Davis visited the island last week and promised relief.

Longtime resident Jeremy Albury said his debt, which was $13,500, dropped to zero on Monday.

Another resident, Barry Albury, said: “I felt like it was Christmas in April.”

Screenshots from community chats show residents celebrating the move, with some joking that Christmas had come early.

The timing and mechanism behind the relief raised questions about whether it was intended to influence the upcoming general election.

In a statement, the government said it intervened to resolve a long-standing electricity billing issue affecting Grand Cay and Moore’s Island residents, attributing the problem to disruptions following Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government said normal billing and collection operations were disrupted during that period, while residents faced hardship, limited banking access, and restrictions on travel and business activity. It also said it had been advised that, under the former administration, residents were told they would not be required to pay their bills, but balances continued to accumulate in the system.

According to the statement, the government determined that the accumulated balances were caused by circumstances beyond consumers’ control and decided to absorb eligible balances through an offsetting arrangement with Bahamas Power and Light.

The government said the measure was intended to settle the matter without placing the burden on residents who were already dealing with disaster and disruption, and described the move as part of its approach to resolving inherited issues.

The development follows The Tribune’s report that the government — not the Progressive Liberal Party — funded more than $200,000 in gift certificates issued to Abaco residents through Premier Importers, according to the company’s CEO. The Davis administration did not address that issue, with Communications Director Latrae Rahming saying the prime minister would speak to reporters at an unspecified time.

Residents said the high bills stemmed from Hurricane Dorian, when electricity charges went unbilled or unpaid and accumulated over time. Some said balances exceeded $60,000.

A number of residents said Mr Davis indicated the total cost of clearing the bills exceeded $500,000.

They said Mr Davis acknowledged the burden during a town hall meeting last week and promised to address the bills and provide housing supplies.

“So said, so done,” Mr Albury said, confirming he was among those distributing materials.

“The supplies are stuff to renovate a lot of people’s homes. More stuff coming on Wednesday.”

While many welcomed the relief, others questioned the timing.

Steven Russell called it an election tactic.

“Everybody knows it’s a tactic because they know Cornish did not represent his constituency well,” he said, referring to former MP Kirk Cornish. “They know that and they know which areas they are in trouble. That’s why they up in Abaco, they sharing like $200 gift certificates.”

Another resident, Mr Maxwell, was unmoved.

“That can’t really do nothing after five or six years.”

Grand Cay, home to more than 500 residents, has long struggled with unreliable electricity, water and telecommunications.

Under the Parliamentary Elections Act, it is an offence to provide money, gifts or other benefits to voters to influence how they vote, a provision likely to draw scrutiny as questions are raised over recent relief offered to residents.