On Monday, November 29, as the situation remained unclear, about a series of planned electricity load-shedding by the Anguilla Electricity Company (ANGLEC), and the Government disagreeing with the announcement, the Opposition Anguilla United Front has been speaking out about the matter.
The periodic blackouts, across the island, were expected to begin on Sunday, November 28. However, much to the relief of the populace, ANGLEC subsequently announced the cancellation of the plan, thus sparing thousands of consumers a great deal of inconvenience.
The Leader of the Opposition, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, and her colleagues, Mr. Cardigan Connor and Mr. Evans Rogers, voiced their opinions when they appeared on their Radio Anguilla programme, Just the Facts, on Monday.
“This past week has been a roller-coaster when it comes to the discussions on ANGLEC as it relates specifically with the different press releases that were going out,” Mrs. Richardson-Hodge commented. “We did hear on another radio station that members of the ANGLEC Board would have made representations about load-shedding – closing down the electricity in certain areas for a period of time and rotating it. This was to ensure that the company was able to recoup whatever funds that they had. Ultimately, the reason for it is because they said that ANGLEC was in a poor financial situation. And one of the areas that they cited is monies owed by Government – whether it is the Government itself or the statutory bodies. At the end of the day, they are still Government.”
Speaking to Mr. Connor, she went on: “You and I were there [in Government] as well, and we know that this issue, in terms of statutory bodies owing Government, is something that has been outstanding for a long time. But what is important is how it is dealt with and payments are made. The end result would be that you have to ensure that ANGLEC continues to survive, one way or the other. In fact, a schedule of the cuts went out as well and we were expecting on Sunday at 12 noon that our electricity at Sandy Hill would be cut off.”
Asked for his views, Mr. Cardigan Connor replied: “What I think is unfortunate, in all of this, is that the Government and the ANGLEC Board seem to be on opposite sides. The ANGLEC Board is put there by Government and there should have been some form of communication before Government, or the Leader of Government Business, having to make a statement that he was disappointed that members of the Board went out on a radio station – and confusion ensued throughout the island. So when we talk about transparency and communication, if you don’t have that, you are going to have bottlenecks like what is happening right now. I commend the ANGLEC Board for challenging Government. I think they pretty much said: it is not just about you, the Elected Members, but it is the people of Anguilla. Everybody has a stake in this and we need to look out in the best interest of the people of Anguilla and hold Government accountable.”
Mr. Connor went on: “Another thing is that if Government has one dollar, and has to pay bills even at five dollars’ value, it is a case of what is your priority. For instance, we see there is some work going on the Carter Rey Road. Of course when it is finished it will be great but the fact is that it is not a priority. Does the Government has access to four million dollars, or ten million dollars, that ANGLEC is threatening to have load-shedding, at this point in time, when persons might be in quarantine because of COVID; senior citizens are stuck at home; and there are schoolchildren who need to have access to computers to be able to get their work done? Your priorities are more important. We have been through that during Hurricane Irma. Of course I would have loved to see money going to the park to build a stadium, but that was not the main priority. The main priority for us right now is getting facilities for our schoolchildren and also the health system. Curtis, the former Minister of Infrastructure, would have loved to be able to have money to fix the Carter Rey Road and other roads – but the fact is that with Hurricane Irma, and the challenges we were facing, we had to make sure that our priorities were for the overall benefit of the people of Anguilla and not just for personal gain or the egos of a few.”
Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge responded: “Everything you said is absolutely important and what we need to do is ensure that, as a Government, you should allocate resources where they are needed. And it doesn’t come down to a fight. It comes down to understanding the need of every entity. When we had to close the country, we had to divert funds and this was in March of 2020 at the outset of COVID. We had to redirect funds to help because health needed monetary support to be able to do everything that was needed to be done – while we were closing our borders – and the hospital needed to be in a position to take persons that had to be admitted. We also had a situation where the Anguilla Development Board needed an injection of capital, as well, to be able to continue to do the work; and that was close to the elections of 2020. We also had to divert funds as well for the Anguilla Community College. All of these are necessary institutions that you cannot allow to fail. So the question is: How do you grapple with it? You simply cannot ignore them and end up in a battle. You have to understand how everything interacts with each other and interrelates; and so, ultimately, you, as a Government, have to step forward and to be able to take a position in a way that is going to be beneficial for all of these entities.”
Fellow Opposition Member, Mr. Evans Rogers, who joined the radio programme later, spoke about what Mrs. Richardson-Hodge described as “the confusing messages between Government and ANGLEC.” He stressed that there was a need for a sit down meeting with Government, the Minister and ANGLEC. “What is so difficult in sitting down with the ANGLEC Board and thrashing out these matters?” he asked. “The Board is saying one thing and the Government is saying the other. [It is said that] the Government doesn’t owe ANGLEC any money and then, all of a sudden, there is load-shedding and a schedule went out; and then there is a meeting with Government.”
Mr. Rogers added: “Sit down with these [ANGLEC] folks and work the things out. ANGLEC cannot generate electricity without diesel. Is there an issue in terms of the payment of diesel? You are the Government. You must be able to sit down and work these things out.”
Meanwhile, Premier Dr. Lorenzo Webster, said during the Government’s Press Conference, on Monday afternoon, that the Government was not in favour of load-shedding; that a meeting would be held with the ANGLEC Board to resolve the matter; and that Government would be looking at ways to assist the electricity company in these difficult financial times.
