Dear Editor,
I read with great concern and amusement the letter written by Alfred Sangster, which seemed to have been sent to clearly sing the praises of JPS on the basis of a number of so-called myths inspired by the Jamaica Observer's recent headline 'JPS facing death'.
The irony is that Jamaica is facing death, partly from the years of abuse by an illegal monopoly power provider which has been allowed to ravage consumers and the economy through the inactivity of a weak and compliant OUR and the misguided pronouncements and positions of some government officials, your newspaper and people like Alfred Sangster.
Sangster is a reputed scientist and educator, who certainly should be guided by facts and empirical evidence. At the same time, I suppose, we must see his diatribe as a sad reflection and reminder of the colonial powerhouse which is still generating anti-Jamaica sentiments in favour of the colonial overlords.
Fact # 1: The government issued an illegal exclusive monopoly licence to JPS, which finances the OUR, and gives them extraordinary power over consumers and guaranteed rates of profit. This is what brought CURE into existence, to challenge this abberation. Mrs Kelly Tomblin says that's what they bought and must have, hence the appeal against the Supreme Court judgement scheduled to be heard in December 2013.
Fact # 2: Each time the JPS faces the inevitability of dismantling its monopoly, it becomes broke and owes money which their creditors want immediately. At the present time, there are four entities bidding to supply new generation capacity for Jamaica's needs.
Fact # 3: The entire world, including oil-rich countries, is moving towards renewable and alternate sources of energy and electricity generation. So Sangster's attempted ridicule of Jamaica's attempts to do likewise are just that -- ridiculous assertions of the non-viability of renewable energy for a cleaner, safer and more sustainable environment, with reduced costs for energy, and increased & safer levels of production.
Fact # 4: Legal JPS customers have historically paid for a significant portion of electricity theft. Consumers have also paid for damage to JPS property from storms and hurricanes and the 27 per cent power leakage in the distribution system enabling JPS to make unprecedented profits from a dilapidated and run-down electricity generation, distribution and supply system.
Fact # 5: Despite the cost of oil, which is a great burden and is always singled out by JPS as the sole reason for having one of the world's highest costs of electricity (US$0.42 per kwh), former owners Mirant Corporation were able to export huge profits from their Jamaican operation to their head offices after significant increases in electricity costs at that time.
Fact # 6: Jamaica Energy Partners currently sells 30 per cent of Jamaica's electricity supply to JPS at US$0.21 per kwh, which is then sold to consumers at US$0.42 per kwh. Yet, JPS says they are broke. CURE has recommended that this US$0.21 supply be dedicated to the manufacturers and most needy public institutions to help turn around the economy.
Fact # 7: Once again, some Jamaican people -- like Alfred Sangster -- continue to show this great appreciation for every thing from abroad and seem to derive some great pleasure from denigrating the Jamaican people who suffer from things from abroad.
I agree that Mrs Tomblin is out with her troops and their power saws disconnecting illegal power supplies and has been using a new PR strategy which has mystified and fooled some people. However, JPS is still fighting to try and retain an illegal monopoly licence and resisting numerous proposals from CURE and other citizens to stop the theft of electricity and work towards a new, national energy industry which has the greatest potential for developing a competitive, productive economy.
Dickie Crawford,
CURE co-founder
PO Box 1823
Kingston 8
Jamaica, not JPS, facing death
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I read with great concern and amusement the letter written by Alfred Sangster, which seemed to have been sent to clearly sing the praises of JPS on the basis of a number of so-called myths inspired by the Jamaica Observer's recent headline 'JPS facing death'.
The irony is that Jamaica is facing death, partly from the years of abuse by an illegal monopoly power provider which has been allowed to ravage consumers and the economy through the inactivity of a weak and compliant OUR and the misguided pronouncements and positions of some government officials, your newspaper and people like Alfred Sangster.
Sangster is a reputed scientist and educator, who certainly should be guided by facts and empirical evidence. At the same time, I suppose, we must see his diatribe as a sad reflection and reminder of the colonial powerhouse which is still generating anti-Jamaica sentiments in favour of the colonial overlords.
Fact # 1: The government issued an illegal exclusive monopoly licence to JPS, which finances the OUR, and gives them extraordinary power over consumers and guaranteed rates of profit. This is what brought CURE into existence, to challenge this abberation. Mrs Kelly Tomblin says that's what they bought and must have, hence the appeal against the Supreme Court judgement scheduled to be heard in December 2013.
Fact # 2: Each time the JPS faces the inevitability of dismantling its monopoly, it becomes broke and owes money which their creditors want immediately. At the present time, there are four entities bidding to supply new generation capacity for Jamaica's needs.
Fact # 3: The entire world, including oil-rich countries, is moving towards renewable and alternate sources of energy and electricity generation. So Sangster's attempted ridicule of Jamaica's attempts to do likewise are just that -- ridiculous assertions of the non-viability of renewable energy for a cleaner, safer and more sustainable environment, with reduced costs for energy, and increased & safer levels of production.
Fact # 4: Legal JPS customers have historically paid for a significant portion of electricity theft. Consumers have also paid for damage to JPS property from storms and hurricanes and the 27 per cent power leakage in the distribution system enabling JPS to make unprecedented profits from a dilapidated and run-down electricity generation, distribution and supply system.
Fact # 5: Despite the cost of oil, which is a great burden and is always singled out by JPS as the sole reason for having one of the world's highest costs of electricity (US$0.42 per kwh), former owners Mirant Corporation were able to export huge profits from their Jamaican operation to their head offices after significant increases in electricity costs at that time.
Fact # 6: Jamaica Energy Partners currently sells 30 per cent of Jamaica's electricity supply to JPS at US$0.21 per kwh, which is then sold to consumers at US$0.42 per kwh. Yet, JPS says they are broke. CURE has recommended that this US$0.21 supply be dedicated to the manufacturers and most needy public institutions to help turn around the economy.
Fact # 7: Once again, some Jamaican people -- like Alfred Sangster -- continue to show this great appreciation for every thing from abroad and seem to derive some great pleasure from denigrating the Jamaican people who suffer from things from abroad.
I agree that Mrs Tomblin is out with her troops and their power saws disconnecting illegal power supplies and has been using a new PR strategy which has mystified and fooled some people. However, JPS is still fighting to try and retain an illegal monopoly licence and resisting numerous proposals from CURE and other citizens to stop the theft of electricity and work towards a new, national energy industry which has the greatest potential for developing a competitive, productive economy.
Dickie Crawford,
CURE co-founder
PO Box 1823
Kingston 8
Jamaica, not JPS, facing death
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