While the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) New Day government was supposed to be improving on the
works being carried out by the previous Free National Movement (FNM) administration at Bahamas
Power and Light (BPL); it would appear that the minister charged with the responsibilities was busying
himself with misleading the public as to how and why he made their live much worst and difficult.
“Sears admits misleading House on BPL fuel hedge” – The Nassau Guardian
Excerpt from this article;
“• Confirms briefed on critical trades on October 9, 2021

• Says Ministry of Finance advised against execution
• Pintard: ‘No amount of grease’ will get Gov’t off hook
  A Cabinet minister yesterday admitted misleading Parliament by initially denying he was briefed on
  the Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) fuel hedging controversy that will allegedly cost households and
  businesses over $100m.
  Alfred Sears KC, minister of works and utilities, confirmed that on October 9, 2021, he received a
  briefing on the rationale for executing transactions, known as “call option” trades, that would enable
  BPL to acquire additional cheaper fuel at below-market prices and thus keep its fuel charge – and
  overall electricity bills – relatively low with stable rates.
  The minister, who had previously told the House of Assembly on several occasions that he never
  received any such advice or recommendations, added that he forwarded the e-mail briefing and
  attachments to the Ministry of Finance and its financial secretary, Simon Wilson, for their assessment.
  Describing this as “normal” procedure for any major financial or spending decision facing the
  Government, Mr. Sears said Mr. Wilson recommended that the trades – which would have supported
  the initial BPL fuel hedge implemented in summer 2020 by increasing the utility’s stock of cheaper fuel
• not be executed.
  The minister added that despite BPL’s then-Board and management trying their “hardest to persuade”
  the Government to proceed with the oil purchases, the financial secretary’s advice won the day and
  the trades were never executed. Mr. Sears did not explain why the Davis administration took the
  Ministry of Finance’s position over that of the former BPL Board and management, which had been
  responsible for implementing the fuel hedge in summer 2020.
  Mr. Wilson, too, declined to comment when contacted by Tribune Business to explain the justification
  for not proceeding with the trades (see other article Page 1B). However, under the Westminster
  system of government employed by The Bahamas, it would be virtually impossible – and highly
  irregular – for a civil servant such as the financial secretary to make the key decision on a matter
  involving sums reaching into the tens of millions of dollars.

https://www.facebook.com/AdrianRamseySays
While Mr. Wilson and the Ministry of Finance would have submitted advice and recommendations,
the decision on whether or not to proceed with the fuel hedging trades would almost certainly have
been taken at the policymaker or ministerial level by either the full Cabinet or a Cabinet committee
based on the briefings received.
Thus it should have been the Prime Minister, Mr. Sears and their Cabinet colleagues ultimately
making the judgment call, which their political opponents claim will cost Bahamian businesses and
households a combined $100m over the course of 2023 via soaring electricity bills that need not have
been incurred if the fuel hedging trades were executed.
The fuel charge component of BPL bills is set to increase by up to 163 percent compared to the stable
10.5 cents per kilowatt (KwH) enjoyed by the utility’s customers for the just over two-year period to
October 2022. Without the cut-priced fuel produced by those trades, BPL had increasingly been
purchasing its oil at spot market prices from late 2021 onwards but not passing the full cost on to
customers – in contravention of the Electricity Act regulations – for some months.”
Now we have a new minister in charge of this ministry but as with the “New Day, Same Old Ways”
trend that the Progressive Liberal Party seems to be sailing along as a government, there seems to be
a further downward trend in at the quasi-government corporation.

“BPL fails to meet demand” – The Nassau Guardian
Excerpt from this article; “Residents on New Providence were plunged into darkness over the
weekend after Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) was unable to meet electricity demand.
On Saturday, BPL started load shedding after an “unprecedented” demand for power, soaring
temperatures, the loss of a 25 megawatt generator and the unavailability of about 25 MW of rental
generation due to planned maintenance and other issues, officials said.
“BPL was able to return its unit to service shortly after 6 p.m. on Sunday, but with load demands
exceeding projections by 20 MW, there remains a shortfall resulting in load shedding during peak
hours in New Providence,” the company said yesterday.
“BPL is presently working with its rental generation partners to return at least 10 MW of power to the
grid within the next 24 hours and another 10 MW should be available by the end of next week (May
25, 2024).
“Additionally, BPL is working to return three units that are offline due to scheduled maintenance by
the end of the month. These units will add 59 MW to the current capacity.”
BPL said load shedding remains a possibility if unforeseen incidents impact available capacity at its
plants and if temperatures continue to hover over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, increasing demand.
BPL’s Senior Manager for Corporate Communications Arnette Ingraham said yesterday the load
demand for May is “unprecedented”.

https://www.facebook.com/AdrianRamseySays
Upon taking charge of the responsibilities for Bahamas Power and Light (BPL), the new minister
promised lower electricity rates by the summer. Now some would argue that it is not officially
summer yet; while others would argue that the minister actually meant that she would lower your
rates though load shedding; yes, it seems that we have begun load shedding but this NOT what we
expected from this New Day government and the question now becomes; exactly what are they doing
and do they even know?
In April of this year the New Day government introduced the Electricity Bill that and I quote “Energy
bill opens door to BPL move”, move to where exactly?
Let us apply some logic here as there a few things that this New Day government should have known.
Some things that this government should have known coming into office; is that BPL was operating at
a lost, this is why the previous administration had upgraded the generators and were seeking to move
to LNG as a less expensive source of fuel.
This administration should have known that though climate change our summer were getting hotter,
our traveling Climate Czar Prime Minister Philip Davis should have been quite aware of this fact, so
why were we not prepared for the recent heat wave and seem to have to resort to load shedding?
So here we are, back to load shedding.
From my understanding the plan at BPL with the new generators was that only one should be off-line
at any given time for scheduled maintenance because there was sufficient power from the other
generators to “pick up the slack” but it would appear that three were or are offline at one time for
“scheduled maintenance” and we still do not know if these are the new generators or not but my
“sources” deep within BPL has informed me that once the maintenance contract was terminated by
the New Day government, one of the new generators was taken offline for “scheduled maintenance”
and has not been able to be put back online; maybe someone at BPL can verify the veracity of this
information.
It now appears that we have returned to the early days of the Minnis administration, when the
country wanted the Hon. Desmond Bannisters head on a platter for how unreliable the power supply
was.
It would appear that some point during his tenure as the minister with responsibility of Bahamas
Power and Light, the electricity supply was brought to some sort of normalcy, and then the New Day
(PLP) government happened.
First there was the admission by Minister Sears of misleading Parliament regarding the fuel hedging
controversy raises concerns about transparency and accountability within the government. The
decision-making process surrounding such significant financial matters should be clear and well-
informed, particularly given the potential impact on households and businesses.

https://www.facebook.com/AdrianRamseySays
Then, the failure of BPL to meet electricity demands, resulting in load shedding which only highlights
operational issues within the utility company and he inability to cope with increased demand,
especially during periods of high temperatures, underscoring the need for robust infrastructure and
planning to ensure reliable power supply.
Furthermore, the introduction of the Electricity Bill by the government raises questions about their
plans for the energy sector, particularly regarding BPL’s future direction. The lack of clarity
surrounding this bill, coupled with the ongoing challenges faced by BPL, creates uncertainty about the
government’s strategy for addressing energy needs and reducing electricity rates.
The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason; it is their nature.
END

In 2022, a number of questions were put forth to Prime Minister Davis by Candia Dame’s, at that time he refused to answer them, today we have a new set of questions being asked of the prime minister and his government and again he and others simply refuse to be accountable and transparent but only this time we have Pump #10 chiming in, in what I can only describe as an attempt to be “cute”.

“10 things we did not get answers to in 2022” – The Nassau Guardian – Dec 14, 2022

Excerpt from this article; “When it comes to transparency and accountability in office, administrations often talk a good talk, buy into their own hype and obfuscate while failing to be truly accountable or transparent.

“Accountability and transparency” are often convenient declarations, but many times we are met with obscurity and spin in our demands for information.

While the Davis administration has kept its promise to hold regular press briefings, and while many Cabinet ministers are accessible to media, there are often questions we never get answers to, and, it appears, never will.

Meanwhile, the establishment of infrastructure to give effect to the long-delayed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) hampers the ability of media and the general public to access information they have a legitimate right to.

It appears that it will be some time before we can actually begin requesting information under this critical piece of legislation, which was passed during the last Christie administration.

In addition to unanswered questions, there are numerous pledges that Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Philip Davis, while in opposition, indicated would be fulfilled early, but have yet to receive attention.”

Now two years later we have Prime Minister Davis yet again avoiding to be transparent and unaccountable to the people by again refusing to answer questions put to him by the Opposition.

 “PM dodges questions” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article;

“Except for two questions answered by Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell regarding diplomats appointed by the Davis administration since September 2021, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) members of Parliament yesterday refused to answer a series of questions put to them by Opposition Leader Michael Pintard during Question Time in the House of Assembly, with Prime Minister Philip Davis accusing him of “grandstanding” given that his party’s leadership race is in a few weeks.

Many of the questions Pintard asked have been on the agenda of the House of Assembly for months – some dating as far back as last October.

Minister of Energy and Transport JoBeth Coleby Davis went as far as to say she will not answer questions Pintard asked her about Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) – which falls within her portfolio – until after the Free National Movement’s (FNM) convention on June 1.

The connection between her obligation to answer questions and the opposition party’s convention was unclear.”

“I am not prepared to answer those questions today, but I will assure the member for Marco City (Pintard) that after the convention, I will be in a better position to answer those questions,” she said.”

Indeed, the connection between her obligation to answer questions that pertain to the nation and the opposition party’s convention are quite unclear and I would say non-existent but it would appear that the “good” minister in her attempt to be seen and heard and cute can only be seen as merely arrogance and ignorant while providing an answer that would have any right thinking people asking; what is wrong with this woman?

The lack of responsiveness to questions from both the media and the opposition is worrying, especially considering the promises made regarding transparency and accessibility to information.  The delay in implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the recent negative reaction to it by the chairman of the New Day Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), further exacerbates the issue of hindering the public to access critical information.

Additionally, the refusal of the “good” minister to answer questions not until after the Free National Movement’s (FNM’s) convention raises questions about the motivations and priorities of the New Day government.

This behavior not only reflects poorly on the individuals involved but also undermines public trust in the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

It’s essential for a functioning democracy that elected officials are held accountable for their actions and decisions. Hopefully, continued scrutiny from the media and the public will lead to greater transparency and responsiveness from the government in the future but from the direction of the current government this is very doubtful.

The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason; it is their nature.

END

While admitting that there are “no firm plans yet on way forward for BPL”, Minister of

Energy and Transportation, Jobeth Coleby-Davis also stated that “Opposition has no legitimacy to complain about BPL”, this is what you get when ignorance befriends arrogance.

As we all remember this begun with the Minister of Energy and Trasport having to ‘walk back” the statement with government attempting to take full control of Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) for three years without any input from the regulatory body Utilities Regulations and Competition Authority (URCA) and then having to bring ‘clarification” to the situation by way of a last minute amendment to the Electricity Bill  – “good” Minister, if the bill was in the best interest of the country and the people then that particular amendment would have never been necessary, unless of coursed the New day Government is that inept and that incompetent.

“Minister notes no firm plans yet on way forward for BPL” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article;

 “Minister of Energy and Transport JoBeth Coleby-Davis said yesterday all options are on the table to help rightsize Bahamas Power and Light (BPL), which she reiterated is in a state of financial crisis.

“All of the exercises that we’re doing now are a part of rightsizing BPL,” said Coleby-Davis at an Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) press briefing.

“Any partnership or any relationship that we engage in would also take into consideration the option to be able to facilitate payments to the legacy debt on a timely basis, and that is why we have to do these exercises so we can give BPL more room in their finances to be able to fund and pay down their debt.

“The government is not in the business of putting the Bahamian people and any assets related to them in a worse position, and so, as we are leading these discussions to find possible solutions, everything is on the table.”

If we all can remember, the “good” Minister promised lower electricity bills by the middle of this year, even though at that time oil prices globally were trending upward, so we put all of our faith in the “good” Minister only today to have her tell us that  her government  has “…no firm plans yet on way forward for BPL”.

What a time in the kingdom but it gets better.

The Minister then goes on to attempt to chastise the former government, while she seems to have no clue of the way forward.

“Coleby-Davis: Opposition has no legitimacy to complain about BPL” The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Minister of Energy and Transport JoBeth Coleby-Davis said yesterday the Official Opposition does not have any legitimacy to complain about the handling of Bahamas Power and Light (BPL).

Coleby-Davis was responding specifically to concerns raised by the opposition in the House of Assembly during debate on the Electricity Bill, 2024, and the Natural Gas Bill, 2024, that the bills were too lengthy and complex to debate together and in only one sitting.

“As much as I can be able to converse and communicate with you, the media, and with the public to give them the assurances, to make sure that I put in a better terminology that they can understand, I will do that,” she said.

“But I do not think the opposition is in any position to criticize the government, because the opposition had four and a half years. We are amending a 2015 bill, which means they did nothing to the legislation when they sat as the government.”

The first thing that the “good” Minister should educate herself on is the difference between a complaint and helpful criticism, the very same criticism that had her make the amendment that had her and the New Day government attempting to run “buck wild” with BPL – AGAIN.

If she remembers, it was her government that brought about the high electricity bills being experienced by consumers right now, but I digress.

What she really needs to knowledge is the fact that if the former administration had not done the groundwork to bring in the present turbines/engines at BPL, her government could not and would not be talking about the possibility of lower electricity bills using LNG.

So, her statement that the “Opposition has no legitimacy to complain about BPL” is complete and utter nonsense by a person deeply steeped in arrogant Ignorance. 

As I have said before there are no complaints but rather nothing more than constructive criticism but her arrogant Ignorance would not allow her to see that this way, so here we are with a ‘good” Minister the constantly trips over her own tongue and like Greek philosopher Zeno once said, “Its better to trip with the feet than with the tongue”

The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason; it is their nature.

END