Come clean
If today’s report on local utilities company GEBE is accurate, management has some explaining to do. The article says the current director, since taking office, had been reversing the past fuel clause relief granted by his retired predecessor.
The first question is why management would choose to systematically reduce the 18.8-cent drop in the basic fuel clause rate between October 2004 and September 2006 by respectively 2 cents in January 2007 and 2.5 cents in July 2007. And this while international oil prices were fast rising, with all consequences for local energy bills.
It now appears that the 4.5 cents in relief granted in July was nothing more than giving consumers back what had been taken from the total 18.8 cents relief offered by the former director. That aspect, however, was not made clear when the “relief” measure was announced.
And that is regrettable. Especially at a time when the general population is facing a heavy burden resulting from high fuel prices GEBE, certainly as a government-owned company, should have been open and up front.
The fact that it was not, thus creating a false impression, does not exactly inspire public confidence for the future. The people simply need to be able to trust that their utilities company is giving them a fair shake.
That may well be the case and there could be good reasons why a total of 4.5 cents was taken off the total 18.8 cents in fuel clause rate relief granted earlier, but GEBE at the very least should have informed the community in general and its clients in particular in this regard. Management would do well to come clean in this matter.
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