GPL – a study in high cost inefficiencies

Nov 16, 2017 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
A few days ago the Private Sector Commission made a pronouncement on GPL that almost every Guyanese will agree with. The commission said that, “GPL simply has neither the management nor the capacity to deliver a reliable power supply to the country and the government has consistently failed to address this issue”.
The PSC cited that, “GPL is owned and operated by the government.” This is essentially wrong. I would like to see people or organizations writing or talking about state-owned corporations use the term “State owned, government managed”.
Governments don’t own anything. They are just a bunch of individuals whom we voted for to administer the apparatus called the state. Sadly! Our constitution is so enshrined that successive governments have superimposed themselves on the state apparatus.
Successive governments since the Hoyte era somehow connotes the right to sell state assets as if it was willed to them by their parents – leaving the masses (real owners) without a say. In subjection, we give it up to them in deeds (writings).
Back to the point. The PSC correctly stated that GPL “subjected the entire country to a series of unannounced and frequently prolonged power outages, “within recent months” and that no credible explanation from the company’s management or board was given for these failures. Having a monopoly on the supply of power.
GPL’s public relations is virtually nonexistent. You can complain, but you can’t switch from GPL!
Earlier this year, cabinet gave no objection to a controversial contract for a Chinese company (CMC) that had a bid of over 1 billion dollars above the engineer’s estimate to supply a large quantity of smart meters and rehabilitate some distribution lines for GPL. By the end of May 2017 the deadline for samples of the smart meters to be supplied had gone and not a single meter was submitted to GNBS for testing. One could safely assume that neither sample nor stock has arrived to this date.
As long as I can remember, GPL has always had a shortage of meters. Or, could it be that the metering section of GPL is constantly hoarding stocks to collect illicit payment from customers who are seeking to get service from GPL? It is difficult to comprehend a large power company always running out of equipment (meters) acquiring new customers.
The said company is complaining of suffering a hefty 33% loss of power generated due to theft by consumers. You don’t have to be an economist or a business wizard to figure that in the 21st century power is considered a necessity and if you make it difficult for consumers to get the service legally by the constant unavailability of meters, they are most likely to steal it.
Could it be that management sees that the company is struggling to maintain the present level of generation and is not interested in more customers – since more customers would require increase power generation?
I know a young man who went to Georgetown to attend UG. He got an apartment to rent. However, the meter was repossessed by GPL because of nonpayment by the former occupant about a year ago.
The guy was given an old bill and permission to have the account traced and pay the outstanding debt plus reconnection at GPL, so as to have the service reconnected. He was told that he has to get the “wiring” certified and reapply, since the meter was removed a long time ago.
When he did apply, he was told that he might get a meter in six months because they don’t have meters. Poor guy! I can imagine him living in that apartment and doing his assignments with a lantern. In any business, the marketing department should be proactive – customers should not be left out in the rain for long periods after doing their part to access a service.
Why can’t the management of GPL ensure that there is an adequate amount of meters available at all times for prospective customers? GPL has a seemingly endless number of directors and managers. It’s hard to imagine what they talk about at their meetings while a customer has to wait six months to a year for a meter.
The managers and directors of GPL remind me of an incident about fifteen years ago. A wanted man escaped from three policemen by swimming out to sea at high tide. As we stood beside the police looking at the swimmer, one of my friends offered some advice to the police on how they could catch the man. One of the police replied, “boy if we catch tha man or we na catch tha man we gon still get we pay”.
I reckon that if no meter is available to any customer for the next five years – the directors and managers will continue to receive their pay – so will the staff of the metering department.
Concerned citizen

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