This is a national scandal that should scare all citizens

Jan 26, 2009 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

What I am about to write on I have incontrovertible proof of. I am writing on a national scandal that should galvanize the Government of Guyana to act with immediate haste. This disgrace should scare every citizen, because none of us is exempt from this evil, and evil is the most appropriate word to describe what I am about to relate to readers.
In this life, many of us tend to be unapologetically unconcerned when certain sections of the State, or the business community, or political society, do nasty things that have no bearing on our lives. There is a “but,” though, a very large “but.” But what happens when the GPL or GWI is deliberately caught robbing us? All of us are customers of GWI; and except for some big companies, all of us have to deal with GPL. What I am about to explain to you happened. I have the evidence. I am calling on the President and Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission to immediately intervene. I have already spoken to Justice Prem Persaud, the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission. He advised that I write to him. Here is a story that I believe would not have happened under the Government of Forbes Burnham, and I do believe Mr. Burnham was an insensitive ruler.
On turning 80 years, my mother-in-law decided to give up her small business in Wortmanville. I lived with my family next to her. On turning eighty, we all moved to Turkeyen. I eventually left Wortmanville, where I had spent the major part of my life. My mother-in-law lived upstairs of the business place, where she “has” a residential meter. Downstairs, where the shop was, she “has” a commercial meter. From 2007, my mother-in-law moved in with us at Turkeyen, because she could no longer physically run the shop. None of her children was interested. After more than fifty years, she closed down. The property has been put up for sale since 2007.
My mother-in-law is in receipt of a specific letter written to her by the Manager of GPL’s Customer Services, Anthony Rafeek. It is a rude correspondence. Mr. Rafeek indicated to my mother-in-law that he noticed that, since 2007, her commercial meter dropped from $40,000 per month to $2,000, and that she is stealing electricity by by-passing her commercial meter and using her residential meter to get power into her small supermarket. He further showed that the investigating team he sent was able to detect the theft. He promised strong disciplinary action.
The old lady came to me and asked me to intervene, because she was confused. She didn’t know what to do. The residential meter burns about $6000 per month and the commercial meter, $2000 per month. That is because only the lights are left on. My mother-in-law moved out. Only rats and cockroaches live in the supermarket. For two days, Mr. Rafeek refused to speak to me. I went high up the GPL chain and he relented and inquired what my problem was. I demanded to know when an investigation was done, who was the leader of the team, and what was the content of the report. I told Mr. Rafeek, using a tempestuous style, that GPL had lied on my mother-in-law and libelled an 82-year-old woman.
Mr. Rafeek got back to me, was profusely apologetic, and agreed to compose a written retraction. I did not accept the apology because of the bizarre explanation he offered. First, he confessed that there was no investigation, but said that he got my mother-in-law mixed up with another old lady. Secondly, he advised that I ignore the threat and the accusation because it was a general letter sent out to all customers. This got me livid. It was a specific, particular missive that dealt with actual figures and meter numbers, so it couldn’t have been a general letter.
So what is the point? GPL saw my mother-in-law’s bill drop from $40,000 monthly from 2007 and arrogantly concluded that she was stealing electricity. An honest 82-year-old citizen that never did a wrong in her life had to face the indignity of being accused of theft. I resent this mistreatment of one of my family members, and I am taking this matter to the courts. So what is the second point? It is that GPL must be doing this to thousands of other decent citizens. My old mother-in-law was confused, and she had me to look after her interest. What about those helpless souls who have no one to come to their rescue?

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