The Editor
The Anguillian
Dear Mr. Editor:
AUM GOVERNMENT QUIET ON RENEWABLE ENERGY
I read with interest two publications in The Anguillian: the first, on Friday, March 15, 2013, was entitled: “Winds of Change: What has happened to Anguilla’s march towards a renewable energy future?” by Barbara Drew. The other on March 22, 2013 was two-fold: an “Open Letter to Chief Minister from GO SOLAR Anguilla” and “Solar PV is the only answer to Anguilla’s energy based economic problems – a position paper by Go Solar Anguilla.”
Both were well-written, informative and enlightening publications. Remarkably, they also presented a case which plainly showed that theAUM Government of Chief Minister Hubert Hughes has fallen asleep on its election campaign promise. In its campaigning, and soon after winning the general election, the AUM fiercely committed itself to renewable sources of energy as a means to rescue Anguillians from the high cost of electricity, occasioned by the high price of fuel.
Here is what the AUM said in its 2010 Election Manifesto which in fact became the blueprint, accepted by the Executive Council, as the Government’s policy document going forward: “The AUM Government will aggressively seek out alternative energy sources and reduce the cost of electricity to every single household and business.”
Was that just talk or reality? Today, we are hearing nothing of the sort. What we seem to be hearing are rumours of discord and disagreement, if not an abandonment of the effort.
This should not be for the following reasons: We have had a study, report and recommendations by such international consulting organisations like CASTILLA. We also have had the backing of the Clinton Foundation, our own Anguilla Renewable Energy Office (AREO), Go Solar Anguilla and a number of individuals all behind the proposed project. We even have ANGLEC (not regarding renewable or alternative sources of energy as a threat to its own business ventures) giving its support to the matter.
Where is the Government on this vital issue of renewable sources of energy? Just where are our Ministers and particularly the Minister responsible for energy, the Hon. Evan Gumbs? Where are they, when everybody is crying out against the high cost of electricity and a number of persons are living in darkness, having had their electricity connections severed because they can’t pay their bills?
Will somebody in Government please come forward and give a suitable explanation – and quickly too?
Enquirer
