The Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services can investigate the electricity company

Dear  Editor,

I make reference to the Stabroek Business editorial of Friday April 4, 2008, captioned “Probing GPL”, the cartoon of the same day and the several reports on the matter of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL).
Your line, which echoes the original motion of the AFC, was that the government does not want an investigation into the GPL. This is far from the truth.

Our position was that the AFC’s original motion was redundant as there exists a Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services which has the mandate to do that which the motion calls for. Government never argued against any parliamentary inquiry of the GPL.

Mr. Trotman did amend his motion at the time of the debate and recognised that the Parliamentary Sectoral Com-mittee on Economic Services could so do.  My position is why waste valuable time and resources on calling for this, when the mechanisms are already in place.  

And this committee has put this matter as one of its priorities on its immediate agenda. 
We are not shying away from the review of GPL and this entity as well as any other can be investigated by the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services.  Not only that is available, but the PUC, GNBS, MTIC can all deal with consumer complaints.

Yes, we agree that the GPL handling of consumer complaints and the service has to improve, but we also say that credit has to be given for a good job done since 1992.
Yours faithfully,
Manzoor  Nadir
Minister of Labour