`I don't care what they have to do...my basis of performance is that when you turn the switch there must be power there, uninterrupted power' - President Jagdeo

PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday reiterated his dissatisfaction with the performance of the crisis-plagued Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) saying he will have to again meet the shareholders of the firm to discuss its unacceptable and below standard performance.

"I am still very dissatisfied with the performance of GPL (and) I will be meeting with the shareholders again," he told a news conference yesterday at the Office of the President.

"I don't care what they have to do, they have a management contract (and) my basis of performance is that when you turn the switch there must be power there, uninterrupted power," the President said.

He said questions about costs and billing can be reviewed by the watchdog Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

"...but in terms of testing the performance, all I am concerned about is that Guyanese can turn their switch on and there is power there," Mr. Jagdeo stressed.

Without having to measure the number of hours of blackouts, he said that anecdotally, it is known that the power company was not performing.

"I get blackouts here (Office of the President) every single day too and I shudder to think what happens to people all across the country," the President said.

And as if to emphasise the point, there was a power outage at the Office of the President during the news conference which halted the proceedings for a few minutes while someone went over to Castellani House across the street from the complex to turn on a generating set.

"This is what has come to be known in my office now as the regular blackouts, once or twice a day," Mr. Jagdeo told reporters seated in the darkness during the interruption.

Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, at a news conference Wednesday, also slammed the performance of the power company saying GPL's handling of the complex electricity sector was "very discouraging" and "disgusting" and was creating continuous annoyance to Guyanese consumers.

"The situation in the electricity utility sector has been said by the company to be quite complex, and it is a view that is shared by Cabinet," Luncheon said.

He said the impact, however, of GPL's handling of this complicated sector is "very discouraging" and creates continuous grief for Guyanese.

"...so much so that today personalities and individuals are reckless in their sweep of condemnation of the major players including the administration," he pointed out.

"The sad reality is that GPL is not living up to expectations notwithstanding its claims, most of which are patently obvious," Luncheon said.

The repeated criticisms of GPL by the Government is against the backdrop of public complaints about prolonged power outages.

President Jagdeo told a news conference last month that GPL shareholders may now have to meet and decide on the future of its management contract since the services it is providing consumers are "very disgusting".

"It's disgusting...what's taking place at GPL (and) I don't want to hear excuses", he had said.

GPL has been repeatedly and severely criticised in recent times with questions raised about its huge management contracts, the level of services it provides consumers and its increases in rates and charges.

President Jagdeo noted that the Government's concerns have already been shared with the major shareholders of the power company, the Commonwealth Development Corporation/Electricity Supply Board of Ireland (CDC/ESBI) consortium.

He, however, noted that he will have to meet them again since the company cannot continue performing in such a way.