The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER PLP Cabinet minister Leslie Miller yesterday called on Bahamas and Power Light (BPL) “to get it right” after recent power outages, warning that “lives are at stake” and “there’s nothing trivial” about the struggles ordinary Bahamians are enduring from prolonged power cuts.

“We have never seen this in the history of The Bahamas,” he told The Tribune yesterday. “This is unprecedented.”

His comments followed days of repeated power cuts across New Providence and the Family Islands that have disrupted services and forced residents and businesses to spend thousands on generator fuel.

BPL and Bahamas Grid Company officials attributed the outages to unusually high temperatures, ageing infrastructure, damaged equipment, unauthorised connections and increased demand driven by greater use of air conditioning.

Mr Miller, who served as the executive chairman of the former Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) under the Christie administration, said he himself was sweating at home after power cuts this week.

He rejected claims that the heat and ageing infrastructure was to blame for the recent power cuts, telling The Tribune “stop talking bunch of rat a**.”

He questioned why the heat was being blamed for the outages when temperatures in New Providence are comparable to those in Florida.

He said the death of a Pike employee earlier this year was unfortunate, adding that’s “when everything went downhill.”

Pike Electrical, a US based company, was contracted by BGC to carry out foundational upgrades to New Providence’s transmission and distribution network, but have since left the country after completing its work.

Mr Miller said while he wasn’t too fond of the company, “at least they knew what they were doing.”

“You could see those trucks all over the street. Those guys could change a poll within three to four hours. BPL guys will take a week for that overtime,” he said, while questioning the track record of BGC’s leadership team.

Mr Miller said the minister should not be blamed for the outages, as she is not responsible for BPL’s day-to-day operations.

He said the company’s management and board, particularly its executive chairman, must take responsibility for the power cuts.

He criticised a recent message from BGC CEO Dareo McKenzie encouraging Bahamians to go to the beach, saying: “I’d like to see his resume.”

“What is their track record?,” Mr Miller said of BGC. “What is his track record? Because the last I heard that they were looking to come and get Bahamians to work for them.”

He also blamed some workers, saying he had been informed that employees in areas affected by the outages had taken advantage of the situation.

“It’s up to the chairman and the board to do make the necessary adjustments to curb the excessive overtime charges that are being put on the backs of the Bahamian people.”

He called the outages “serious business” and urged officials to consider the impact on ordinary Bahamians.

“Think about the little kids who go to bed at night with no power. Think about the mother who's pregnant. Think about the people’s food that's wasting in the fridge. Think about all the appliances that went down that BPL ain’t gone never pay for.”

“Look, this is a serious business, you know. There's nothing trivial to be discussing foolishness about going to the beach. This is serious business. This is the country we’re running. This isn’t a playhouse you know.”

He warned that lives were at stake and said food stores did not have sufficient capacity to run their generators for prolonged periods. He also called it embarrassing when visitors come to the country and find the power out.

Mr Miller said BPL should look to other states for skilled workers if necessary to help resolve the company’s problems.

“Get it right and if you can't get it right, get out of the way and let somebody do it right,” he said. “It frustrates me because I know we can do better.”