Deputy Prime Minister K Peter Turnquest.
By SANCHESKA DORSETT
Tribune Staff Reporter
sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
FREE National Movement Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest on Thursday called the Progressive Liberal Party's (PLP) free electricity pledge a "desperate and disastrous plan" by a desperate and visionless government.
Mr Turnquest cried shame on Prime Minister Perry Christie for "taking the Bahamian people for fools" and said it is frightening that the government would even propose such an preposterous idea.
In the PLP’s “Action Plan for Moving Forward Together”, which was published on its re-launched website, www.myplp.org, on Thursday, the party said if elected to office for another term on May 10, it plans to “make the cost of electricity free to residential customers who limit their monthly use to below specified limits".
These limits were not detailed in the party’s press release, which was reported in The Tribune on Thursday.
"First of all, if they could afford to give away free electricity that means you have been overcharging the Bahamian people for the last five years," Mr Turnquest told The Tribune.
"Remember Bradley Roberts tried a similar tactic by reducing the base rate and that threw BEC into the loss situation it is in today with no capital and unable to invest in or maintain new engines. This is a disastrous plan by a desperate Prime Minister."
The East Grand Bahama MP said if the government really wanted to help Bahamians with the cost of electricity, they would address fuel prices.
"They need to deal with the cost of fuel and the inefficiencies of the engines," Mr Turnquest said. "If they want to provide relief, they need to free the noose around Bahamians' necks with this fuel supply and engage in a true partnership with the operator of Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) to modernise the facility.
"They also need to make the business plan, which we paid for, public and add solar energy to the policy plan. What they are suggesting is desperate and frightening and I cry shame on the Prime Minister for taking the Bahamian people for fools."
PowerSecure signed a five-year management services agreement, reportedly worth as much as $25m, with the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) in February, 2016.
Despite repeated calls from the press and the opposition, the government has not released the power company’s business plan. The business plan cost taxpayers $900,000, and was expected to be completed within 60 days after PowerSecure signed a transitional agreement with the government in July, 2015.
Comments
realfreethinker 7 years ago
In f..King sane
TalRussell 7 years ago
Comrades! If the red shirts can edge out a win come May 10, 2017- it is highly likely Peter if reelected MP, will be named minister of finance. I strongly recommend the new MOF, does mulls over offering some kinds amnesty scheme to facilitate all the delinquent borrowers owing Bank Of Bahamaland - over $100 million - that is before government lawyers start to go after their assets.
SP 7 years ago
"We Believe In Bahamians, Bahamians First, Mortgage Relief, 10,000 Jobs In 100 Days"
Anybody stupid enough to believe anything the PLP says in an election campaign after 2012 laundry list of lies, deserves to get what the D-U-C-K got A-G-A-I-N!!
The_Oracle 7 years ago
The more "Freebies" they give or promise, the more someone else's costs go up, and those ones are watching, and leaving. Interest capped loan costs will go on someone else's bill, if they're still around. Keep on trucking, you're winning the race to the bottom!
killemwitdakno 7 years ago
Of course Turnquest would say so.
John 7 years ago
FREE E L E C T R I C I T Y is not an impossibility! Many cities and some countries around the world had been doing it for years. But the option is available to all residents, not just a chosen few:
. .. "DALLAS — In Texas, wind farms are generating so much energy that some utilities are giving power away.
Briana Lamb, an elementary school teacher, waits until her watch strikes 9 p.m. to run her washing machine and dishwasher. It costs her nothing until 6 a.m. Kayleen Willard, a cosmetologist, unplugs appliances when she goes to work in the morning. By 9 p.m., she has them plugged back in.
And Sherri Burks, business manager of a local law firm, keeps a yellow sticker on her townhouse’s thermostat, a note to guests that says: “After 9 p.m. I don’t care what you do. You can party after 9.”
The women are just three of the thousands of TXU Energy customers who are at the vanguard of a bold attempt by the utility to change how people consume energy. TXU’s free overnight plan, which is coupled with slightly higher daytime rates, is one of dozens that have been offered by more than 50 retail electricity companies in Texas over the last three years with a simple goal: for customers to turn down the dials when wholesale prices are highest and turn them back up when prices are lowest."
Innovation, proper management and control = efficiency. More efficiency means lsee cost. Lower costs = lower prices. Over production at efficient cost means free electricity during off peak hours. Can this PLP government cause that to happen..let us pray...
BMW 7 years ago
John oh John dont you know there is nothing free in life!!!!! Stop drinking the kool. Innovation, proper management, efficiency, production. Have not seen a shred of anything close in the last 5 years!
SP 7 years ago
.................... Peter Turnquest Continue Being Distracted With Nonsense ..........................
I cannot believe so called "intelligent" people allow themselves to be distracted so easily!
The PLP are controlling the election campaign by throwing total cow dung on the wall to avoid discussions of the "REAL ISSUES" of all the failures, corruption and treasonous acts they bestowed on the electorate unabated from 2012 to today.
The FNM, DNA and all opposition need to FOCUS on exposing all the asinine stupidity, massive corruption and total disregard the PLP heaped on the electorate starting with "we believe in Bahamians" , "Bahamians first".
They need to keep the PLP's 5 year track record in forefront of the campaign and peoples minds.
The PLP already beat themselves two years ago, we cannot allow them to get away by promising pie in the sky AGAIN!
OMG 7 years ago
Just totally unbelievable that even Perry Christie could suggest such a hair brained scheme. The threshold before you pay the higher rate is 200KW hrs and that is almost impossible to achieve .But why bother even trying to rationalize this nonsense as like most of the empty promises they will be forgotten in the unlikely event that this Government gets re-elected.
Socrates 7 years ago
PowerSecure must be wondering what the hell they got into.. allegedly brought in to manage and presumably reduce losses or at least breakeven while improving reliability.. well how do you do that when the owner says give power away? of course they are only intended to be scapegoats and take heat off gov't for failing to provide reliable, affordable electricity after all these decades..maybe they will have to start selling tours to tourists to show what happens when government runs a business..
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