Dear Editor,
The all-island power outage on August 27, 2016 is a red flag. If Jamaicans don’t see this, we are in even bigger trouble than we know.
It shows us how powerful the Jamaica Public Service is. When a private company has the power to disconnect the entire island within seconds, with no accountability or explanation, there is a serious problem. There is only one electrical service provider in our country — a recipe for many things.
It reminds me of the chikungunya outbreak. No one is exempt. No matter your post or position; regardless of social status. When communities accused of illegal connections are blacked out, no one cares, but when everyone feels the pain, we see the injustice. We need to wake up.
Citizens need to take power back into their hands. Why is the rest of the world so far ahead of us when we have the fastest runners on the planet? Solar power is no longer futuristic. Jamaica, so rich in sunlight — the renewable energy used to fuel solar panels — should be solar-powered.
But because the rich want to get richer, we are denied one of the most straightforward utilities. It costs way too much to install solar systems in Jamaica. I believe it is a ploy to prevent solar from truly becoming competition. When there is essentially a monopoly in any business or service, customers have no power. No pun intended.
I always thought it was crazy that the National Stadium has a light bill. What?! The National Stadium should be entirely solar-powered. We are keeping our citizens in the Dark Ages.
We complain about all that is wrong with our country, with our society, with our youth, with our police, with our pastors, while overlooking what is in our faces every day.
Cen’C Lovengston
lovengston@gmail.com
The all-island power outage on August 27, 2016 is a red flag. If Jamaicans don’t see this, we are in even bigger trouble than we know.
It shows us how powerful the Jamaica Public Service is. When a private company has the power to disconnect the entire island within seconds, with no accountability or explanation, there is a serious problem. There is only one electrical service provider in our country — a recipe for many things.
It reminds me of the chikungunya outbreak. No one is exempt. No matter your post or position; regardless of social status. When communities accused of illegal connections are blacked out, no one cares, but when everyone feels the pain, we see the injustice. We need to wake up.
Citizens need to take power back into their hands. Why is the rest of the world so far ahead of us when we have the fastest runners on the planet? Solar power is no longer futuristic. Jamaica, so rich in sunlight — the renewable energy used to fuel solar panels — should be solar-powered.
But because the rich want to get richer, we are denied one of the most straightforward utilities. It costs way too much to install solar systems in Jamaica. I believe it is a ploy to prevent solar from truly becoming competition. When there is essentially a monopoly in any business or service, customers have no power. No pun intended.
I always thought it was crazy that the National Stadium has a light bill. What?! The National Stadium should be entirely solar-powered. We are keeping our citizens in the Dark Ages.
We complain about all that is wrong with our country, with our society, with our youth, with our police, with our pastors, while overlooking what is in our faces every day.
Cen’C Lovengston
lovengston@gmail.com