The Tribune

IF ever there was a group of managers fretting nervously over their company’s performance, it would be the top executives at Bahamas Power & Light.

Last year, we were told we would endure one last summer of hell – which duly arrived, with load shedding happening regularly for months on end. That summer of hell is about the only promise BPL managed to keep.

Afterwards, with the arrival of the new engines, chairman Dr Donovan Moxey promised “No more load shedding”, yet how many of us were surprised when the power went out island-wide in New Providence yesterday?

The official explanation is a switching error at a substation at Skyline Drive – which prompts one question. How does one switching error put out the power across the whole island?

All of this of course comes when people have been told to stay at home.

Students were trying to complete classes online, some were taking examinations, and food that people stocked up on to avoid extra shopping trips started to defrost in refrigerators. Repeats of this and it’ll drive people back to the stores and risking catching the virus all over again.

BPL’s leadership is running out of chances to show they can reliably deliver power to the nation – and that goes for the government too. It was government that appointed this leadership two years ago, and it will be government that will be left to carry the can if the promises aren’t delivered.

We said time and again last year that the public’s patience was running out with BPL – and that last summer really had to be the end to the appalling power provision for the nation. It’s holding back the business community, it’s adding stress to the daily lives of citizens – and goodness knows how care homes managed through the heat of last year with no fans to keep the elderly cool.

We hope that yesterday’s outage will be very much the exception to the rule for the summer ahead – but with yesterday’s outage adding to Monday’s power problems because of bad weather, our hopes aren’t high.

Time to live up to those promises, BPL.

Royal recognition

A Royal treat for staff at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre was a perfect way to mark International Nurses Day yesterday.

This year, more than ever, the importance of health workers deserves to be shouted from the rooftops.

But it was notable that the Duchess of Cambridge took time to honour the work of those who deal with those who have mental health needs.

Often overlooked, and with a stigma attached that doesn’t take place with physical wounds, mental health is very much an issue that needs more attention in The Bahamas.

That stigma was one of the things Kate asked about when she rang – and one that nurses are very much aware of in their work.

So we echo what the Duchess had to say when she told nurses “you should be so proud of the work you do”.

Indeed, we’d agree too with the British High Commissioner, Sarah Dickson, who called them “super heroes”.

In our hour of need, that’s exactly what they are.

Crisis? What crisis?

Now you see it, now you don’t. It’s the case of the disappearing COVID-19 diagnosis.

In his address to the nation, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis told us the passenger was COVID-19 positive. Now he’s tested negative.

What a mess this has turned out to be. We’re glad the passenger is healthy. We wish the process was in such good health.