Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
Former PNC Chairman to be appointed as GPL Director
By Rehana Ahamad
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds yesterday said that some changes will be made to the Board of Directors governing the Guyana Power and Light (GPL).
One of those changes includes the appointment of Bishwaiswar “Cammie” Ramsaroop, former Chairman of the People’s National Congress (PNC), as a new member of the Board.
Bishwaiswar “Cammie” Ramsaroop
Hinds, speaking at a joint meeting between Parliamentary Sectoral Committees on Economic Services and Natural Resources, at which the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Bharat Dindyal and Chairman, Winston Brassington were no-shows to give presentations and answer questions posed by members of the respective Committees.
The Prime Minister said that the government has arranged to have Ramsaroop join the GPL Board of Directors, as a confidence-building method.
The GPL Board of Directors currently consists of seven persons appointed by the Government.
The Opposition party had raised concerns about the GPL Board of Directors being heavily politicized in favour of the People’s Progressive Party government.
Meanwhile, subsequent to the announcement of Ramsaroop’s appointment, the Alliance For Change (AFC), at a press conference, expressed that it was pleased that an opposition member was now on the Board.
Party leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, told media operatives that he would have preferred if members of both opposition parties were represented on the GPL Board of Directors.
Ramjattan said that the AFC had recommended persons at the request of the Government, but they did not get a response.
Ramjattan also expressed hope that “Mr.Cammie” Ramsaroop, a longtime politician, would be up to the task of scrutinizing GPL from inside.
At the same forum, prior to the announcement of Ramsaroop’s appointment, Desmond Trotman, a member of the Economics Services Committee asked whether information on how the members of the GPL Board of Directors have been appointed, would be made public.
Trotman believes that a member of the board should not serve for more than five years, so as to allow a constant turnover of personnel which would encourage a flow of fresh ideas into the entity.
“Do you believe that the absence of fresh ideas may actually have impacted negatively on the operations of GPL?” he asked.
Hinds disagreed, stating that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has been almost consistently and continuously alongside the government and others in looking at GPL, and that one of the attached consultants had once told him that the problems may be due to similarly frequent changes in the past.
“You may remember that at the end of the 80’s coming into the 90’s we had a period there with almost like a different dozen arrangements,” the Prime Minister posited.
Prime Minister Hinds was asked whether the board was biased in not having women as members. He noted that even though it has always been a “male board”, it is something that is so, subconsciously.
Also at the meeting to give presentations were the Board of Management of GPL, headed by Aeshwar Deonarine; the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), and the Hinterland Electrification Unit (HEU).
The forum sought to have the committees examine issues from a feasibility and viability standpoint, while scrutinizing the management of, and use of, the country’s natural resources.
Majority of the officials did not get to complete their presentations. It ended, and will continue with Mr. Deonarine finishing off on his presentation, on July 31.
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