Dear Editor,
The JPS by its recent actions has played into the hands of the lawless among us; no entity local or foreign can claim to be upholding the law by breaking law. There is no doubt that the theft of electricity negatively impacts the bottom line of JPS. Therefore, like any corporation, the JPS must take all reasonable steps to stem the loss of revenue.
However, impatience has imbued the JPS CEO and her team with an almost Jamaican penchant for disregarding the rule of law. We have a national tendency to resort to law-breaking in our efforts to 'uphold the law'; hence mob and extrajudicial killings are common features of our society, now accepted by many otherwise well-thinking Jamaicans.
The JPS should stay the course in its present drive to regularise all customers; however, the sooner JPS realises that this is a process the better. This started from as far back as the 1970s concept of "social light and water", and it is embedded in the psyche of inner-city Jamaica.
Going in and removing illegal connections, then putting in place a legal tamper-proof metering system, community by community, along with a public-education campaign is the most sensible approach. To punish paying customers for the actions of others is not only draconian, but seriously contemptuous of the many law-abiding residents of Jamaica's inner cities. Alas, the wanton disregard for the rule of law is par for the course in Jamaica, so in this regard Ms Tomblin and her team may just be falling in line.
The JPS must find ways to more efficiently manage its distribution network. While it is costly, the technology is available to isolate individual connections to the grid. The present operators of JPS must come to grips with the realities of doing business here, dealing with the theft of electricity is certainly not 'pioneering costs' for the present board.
While "locking off the power" is the easiest option for an impatient board, it is certainly the most costly, since the JPS loses considerable revenue each hour the power is out as overheads almost certainly remain fixed, if not increasing.
The theft of electricity is a symptom of a general malaise that plagues not only the inner city but Jamaica in general. Other symptoms are high levels of unemployment, poverty and crime, compounded by low levels of education. Until we begin to address these issues then the scourge of theft of electricity will always be with us. And with each round of daily devaluation of the Jamaican dollar the situation gets even more dire. Today it's 70 per cent theft, but what will it be in a year's time if the economy doesn't improve and inner-city residents cannot be gainfully employed.
Phillip A Chambers
phillipdcchambers@gmail.com
'Law-breaking' not the answer, JPS
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The JPS by its recent actions has played into the hands of the lawless among us; no entity local or foreign can claim to be upholding the law by breaking law. There is no doubt that the theft of electricity negatively impacts the bottom line of JPS. Therefore, like any corporation, the JPS must take all reasonable steps to stem the loss of revenue.
However, impatience has imbued the JPS CEO and her team with an almost Jamaican penchant for disregarding the rule of law. We have a national tendency to resort to law-breaking in our efforts to 'uphold the law'; hence mob and extrajudicial killings are common features of our society, now accepted by many otherwise well-thinking Jamaicans.
The JPS should stay the course in its present drive to regularise all customers; however, the sooner JPS realises that this is a process the better. This started from as far back as the 1970s concept of "social light and water", and it is embedded in the psyche of inner-city Jamaica.
Going in and removing illegal connections, then putting in place a legal tamper-proof metering system, community by community, along with a public-education campaign is the most sensible approach. To punish paying customers for the actions of others is not only draconian, but seriously contemptuous of the many law-abiding residents of Jamaica's inner cities. Alas, the wanton disregard for the rule of law is par for the course in Jamaica, so in this regard Ms Tomblin and her team may just be falling in line.
The JPS must find ways to more efficiently manage its distribution network. While it is costly, the technology is available to isolate individual connections to the grid. The present operators of JPS must come to grips with the realities of doing business here, dealing with the theft of electricity is certainly not 'pioneering costs' for the present board.
While "locking off the power" is the easiest option for an impatient board, it is certainly the most costly, since the JPS loses considerable revenue each hour the power is out as overheads almost certainly remain fixed, if not increasing.
The theft of electricity is a symptom of a general malaise that plagues not only the inner city but Jamaica in general. Other symptoms are high levels of unemployment, poverty and crime, compounded by low levels of education. Until we begin to address these issues then the scourge of theft of electricity will always be with us. And with each round of daily devaluation of the Jamaican dollar the situation gets even more dire. Today it's 70 per cent theft, but what will it be in a year's time if the economy doesn't improve and inner-city residents cannot be gainfully employed.
Phillip A Chambers
phillipdcchambers@gmail.com
'Law-breaking' not the answer, JPS
-->