The Tribune

THE more things change, the more they stay the same.

Residents across New Providence were treated to the familiar experience last night of being plunged into darkness after problems at the Clifton station for BPL.

The lights went out, the air filled with the buzzing sound of generators, and BPL became a substitute for a curse word on social media.

Generator trips were the official explanation, not that that brings any comfort to anyone sweating in the heat of summer.

One customer online said: “Listen it’s too hot for y’all to be playing with people power. I think for every minute it’s off something should come off your bill.”

Well, the precedent has been set in Eleuthera for a rebate being offered for poor power supply, although our even- ing of sweltering adds up to nothing close to what residents there have been going through.

BPL is of course in the throes of a shake-up, though quite whether that will resolve our ever-present problems with power generation in The Bahamas or simply put the profits into private hands remains to be seen.

Even Paradise Island was hit last night with power outages, a rarity by comparison as it often still has power while other areas do not.

Another comment online said: “Are we going to get compensated for

damage appliances? Because the way how it going we ain’t gonna have nothing working in our homes when y’all finish SMH.”

A fair question, considering other commenters reported that the power was coming off and on in their areas, such as Bamboo Town.

Someone else added: “My light bill double for no reason and my light been off more times these last couple weeks than ever. This is wild.”

Fair to say that frustration has been boiling over, given plenty of encouragement by summer heat and no power for air conditioning.

The bigger picture is this: Power supplies in The Bahamas have been a long-term problem. Consistent power is not just for residents’ comfort - though lord knows that would be a start. It is also a key part in attracting business, ensuring the smooth running of our emergency facilities, and simply a basic factor in advancing ourselves as a nation.

Last night, we may have sat and cursed in frustration.

But if the government’s gambit in its BPL shake-up does not work, we will have wasted time and may very well have given our resources away at a value less than their true worth.

Power issues right now are a challenge for the government. Power issues in election year may very well see them lose power of their own.