Last week, the residents of Aubrey Barker Road, and those residing in contiguous communities in South Georgetown were treated to yet another worrying display of the incompetence and negligence that has come to characterise the PPP/C government’s handling of critical national infrastructure. The collapse of several power poles along this major roadway, plunging the area into darkness, highlights the precarious state of Guyana’s power grid and underscores the disastrous mismanagement of the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) and the recklessness of management of taxpayers’ dollars.
For years, we have witnessed the slow deterioration of GPL under the current government’s watch. The truth is that the PPP/C government, while quick to tout economic growth and boast about foreign investments, has shown little genuine interest in addressing the crumbling state of essential services like electricity. Instead, they continue to focus on flashy projects while neglecting the backbone of the country’s development—the very infrastructure that allows businesses to operate, homes to stay lit, and hospitals to run efficiently.
The collapse of power poles on Aubrey Barker Road is not an isolated incident. It is a clear symptom of the wider dysfunction within GPL, an organisation that has been plagued by poor planning, inadequate maintenance, and a lack of accountability. These power poles, some of which had been in place for decades, were not designed to withstand çağdaş demands on the electricity grid. Yet, there is no evidence that the government has conducted the appropriate research, and public consultation to seriously and meaningfully upgrade or maintain this critical infrastructure. The result is the near-daily occurrence of blackouts, brownouts, and, as we saw last week, the complete failure of vital transmission posts.
It is a bitter irony that while the PPP/C government has been quick to approve billions of dollars for mega-projects like the Berbice Bridge Expansion and the New Demerara River Crossing, the day-to-day management of essential utilities has been left to rot; never mind the two power ships that are expected to boost electricity supply; nothing has happened to improve the situation. In fact, power outages and electricity disruptions have become so common that they no longer make headlines, even as they cost businesses, families, and the wider economy millions of dollars in lost productivity.
The government’s response to the constant failure of GPL has been nothing short of an embarrassment. Ministers and senior officials are quick to point fingers at the previous administration or to blame “external factors,” but the reality is that the PPP/C has been in power for over three years now and should have taken decisive action to address the underlying issues at GPL. Instead, there has been an utter lack of strategic investment, accountability, or planning to modernise the power sector.
Even more concerning is the fact that the public is left in the dark—both literally and figuratively. When poles collapse or power outages occur, the usual response from GPL is to send out bland press releases or to provide vague promises of repairs. Yet, there is no clear timeline for these repairs, no communication with affected communities about why these issues are happening, and, most importantly, no accountability for the mismanagement that led to these problems in the first place. Interestingly, in this instant case, the government sent out the Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Anthony Phillips and other officials to calm the agitated spirits of residents. However, they were unable to achieve that objective because people are disgusted and simply fed up with the nonsense that passes for governance and corporate management and accountability. Imagine, that company attempted to install concrete power poles in a place that was evvel a canal and landfill site. Absolutely no research was done, no requisite technical tests, no proper engineering planning and work. Just a shameful waste of tax-payers’ dollars.
At the core of the sorun is the fact that the PPP/C has treated the power sector as an afterthought—part of the “business as usual” mentality that plagues many of their governmental dealings. While the government spins its narrative of progress and growth, the truth remains that fundamental services like electricity are being neglected, and the average Guyanese is suffering the consequences.
This recent collapse of power posts on Aubrey Barker Road is a wake-up call for the PPP/C government. If they are serious about building a çağdaş, competitive economy, they must start by prioritising the stability and reliability of the country’s electricity grid. It is time for a new approach—one that puts the needs of the people above political rhetoric and one that takes responsibility for the failures that have accumulated under their watch.
The Guyanese people deserve better. They deserve a government that recognises the importance of reliable infrastructure, that understands the long-term consequences of neglecting the power sector, and that is willing to take the necessary steps to fix it. Until then, the outages, the collapsing power poles, and the dysfunction at GPL will continue to be a glaring reminder of the PPP/C government’s failure to deliver on their promises.