Dear Sir,
Now that GT&T have blocked VOIP totally on their network, I hope that all the people who are going to be out of work, and all the poor people who can't afford to make direct overseas calls to ask their families for help,especially in the coming Christmas season, take note of what effects a monopoly can truly have. How much poorer they are going to be. I hope they won't be too forgetful about it either.
Is it any coincidence that today's paper mentions the SMS interconnectivity between the two networks? Could it be that Digicel is slowly gaining grounds and GT&T is feeling the pressure. Well guess what people, it is the poor ones who feel the squeeze whilst the big ones squabble over the spoils.
Don't believe that the government will be able to come into this at all. After all, they started the whole shebang when they started fighting that they loosing out on their precious VAT they not getting from "illegal" call centres. Same VAT they discovering they making millions surplus every quarter. Imagine that, the poor people can't afford to pay GT&T's overseas rate (so enabling the government to benefit from VAT), so they try to save their 'lil dollars (most likely asking for more dollars from their overseas relatives) using these same "illegal" call centres, who in turn trying to find a way to make their own small piece; and what happens? The government "clamping" down on the thieves!!!
Instead of asking them to register their business and file returns, they get very technical (I wonder who are their technical advisers) and give GT&T sole rights to VOIP, something that wasn't even dreamt of when their contract was made. Or as my friend says, even charge a little bit on the thing, making their money at the resellers end. But no, they want the whole hog.
Let's hope this nightmare can come to an end by or before 2012, when that contract expires.
Let's hope we can survive just so long somebody else can give GT&T real competition?
But we can make GT&T pay too. You know how? All of you with GT&T cell phones switch to Digicel. I wonder if GT&T would make more money on their overseas than on their cell circuits? Can the Guyanese people actually get that angry to do this? Are they strong enough to say enough is enough? What say you? Digicel for GT&T?
Yours faithfully,
Nyall Jodhan
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Letter to the newspapers - 20/11/2008
Dear Sir,
It was great shock that I read in the papers GPL's "campaign" to catch the "pirates" who have found a new way to "steal" current. These "thieves" and "pirates" happen to be those who have put security lights up on the streets. Here we have fearful and insecure people, trying to make a bit of peace of mind around their homes, being branded thieves and pirates.
One would think that GPL are being callous taking such a stance so soon after Lusignan and Bartica. Incidentally GPL, these same lights are up in Lusignan. Are they going to removed too? Are the folks living there going to be made to pay $3400 monthly for each light? Are they thieves and pirates too?
Also, if GPL has already worked out that these lights cost them $3400 monthly, why would they want to have consumers put a meter on them if the consumers want these lights on the posts? Wouldn't such a thing be a waste of money?
It's not enough that we have to suffer daily blackouts, but now we are not allowed to have safe streets anymore. But then I contradict myself, the lights don't work anyways with all the blackouts.
Yours faithfully,
Nyall Jodhan
It was great shock that I read in the papers GPL's "campaign" to catch the "pirates" who have found a new way to "steal" current. These "thieves" and "pirates" happen to be those who have put security lights up on the streets. Here we have fearful and insecure people, trying to make a bit of peace of mind around their homes, being branded thieves and pirates.
One would think that GPL are being callous taking such a stance so soon after Lusignan and Bartica. Incidentally GPL, these same lights are up in Lusignan. Are they going to removed too? Are the folks living there going to be made to pay $3400 monthly for each light? Are they thieves and pirates too?
Also, if GPL has already worked out that these lights cost them $3400 monthly, why would they want to have consumers put a meter on them if the consumers want these lights on the posts? Wouldn't such a thing be a waste of money?
It's not enough that we have to suffer daily blackouts, but now we are not allowed to have safe streets anymore. But then I contradict myself, the lights don't work anyways with all the blackouts.
Yours faithfully,
Nyall Jodhan
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
GPL – Mismanagement or Conspiracy?
It has taken me 3 weeks to compile this blog, and the primary reason for this is the power utility company in Guyana – Guyana Power & Light, GPL. It seems as though somehow they know just when I sit at the computer to give us blackout. We’ve had blackouts every single day at least once a day from the very day after CARIFESTA ended here on the East Coast where I live. And this after absolutely no blackouts during the 2 weeks or so this fest lasted.
So tell me this, how was that one pulled off? Is it through the incompetence of those in charge of the power company? After all, heads rolled (literally it turned out) when it was found out that there was a huge foul-up with the fuel supply to the utility sometime back. Now all is silent. Very few have spoken about it in our media.
Freddie made mention of it where (jokingly I presume) he posited it was a conspiracy against the CARICOM Secretariat. But maybe it is really a conspiracy indeed?
How are we to know that this time around maybe there is another fuel crisis in the company, but out of shame nothing can be said because to roll heads again for the same reason would make fools of those doing the head rolling? How are we to know that maybe it isn’t the fuel, but instead the improper management of the equipment that are now revolting for poor maintenance?
Whichever it is, we here continue to suffer, mostly in the dark, but lots of times in the day too. How you say? Get this – the water supply is dependent on power from GPL! But that is a whole other story.
On Sunday last, we had 5(!!) blackouts. Some that lasted a minute. Some 10 minutes. But mostly for a few hours. Whoa!!! Almost identical repeat on Monday, the very next day. Yesterday it was for 4 hours, and guess why. “Because GPL does not have the capacity to generate power for the demands of everyone”. This from an employee of theirs. This also, after it was declared that “There will be NO blackouts during the Christmas period”. Leon Suseran has his say here. Today was no exception
So what are we experiencing then? It is called “scheduled interruptions”. Actually advertised in the Sundays newspapers. Something I am forced to look for every week to have an idea how to manage the stuff in the fridge. I remember Adam Harris speaking about this in one of his columns, and reminiscing about the days of old (some of you might remember Wartsila during the PNC days) when he would rush to see when he would be able to schedule his reading sessions. I guess Freddie can’t be too much off when he compares this government to the PNC.
Something I would like GPL to consider though: when power eventually kicks back in, then everybody’s equipment (especially fridges and freezers) have to work doubly hard to get back up to speed. Result? More work for GPL’s equipment, more fuel to burn. Unless of course, they are looking (probably salivating?) at the additional revenue they will get just for this reason.
Here’s what I think might be the biggest conspiracy of it all, and this has to do in particular with us on the East Coast (and Berbice too Mr. Suseran) getting the bulk of the blackouts. See, in these areas, the bulk of the government support reside. So no matter how miserably they live, all will be forgotten come election day.
What say you?
So tell me this, how was that one pulled off? Is it through the incompetence of those in charge of the power company? After all, heads rolled (literally it turned out) when it was found out that there was a huge foul-up with the fuel supply to the utility sometime back. Now all is silent. Very few have spoken about it in our media.
Freddie made mention of it where (jokingly I presume) he posited it was a conspiracy against the CARICOM Secretariat. But maybe it is really a conspiracy indeed?
How are we to know that this time around maybe there is another fuel crisis in the company, but out of shame nothing can be said because to roll heads again for the same reason would make fools of those doing the head rolling? How are we to know that maybe it isn’t the fuel, but instead the improper management of the equipment that are now revolting for poor maintenance?
Whichever it is, we here continue to suffer, mostly in the dark, but lots of times in the day too. How you say? Get this – the water supply is dependent on power from GPL! But that is a whole other story.
On Sunday last, we had 5(!!) blackouts. Some that lasted a minute. Some 10 minutes. But mostly for a few hours. Whoa!!! Almost identical repeat on Monday, the very next day. Yesterday it was for 4 hours, and guess why. “Because GPL does not have the capacity to generate power for the demands of everyone”. This from an employee of theirs. This also, after it was declared that “There will be NO blackouts during the Christmas period”. Leon Suseran has his say here. Today was no exception
So what are we experiencing then? It is called “scheduled interruptions”. Actually advertised in the Sundays newspapers. Something I am forced to look for every week to have an idea how to manage the stuff in the fridge. I remember Adam Harris speaking about this in one of his columns, and reminiscing about the days of old (some of you might remember Wartsila during the PNC days) when he would rush to see when he would be able to schedule his reading sessions. I guess Freddie can’t be too much off when he compares this government to the PNC.
Something I would like GPL to consider though: when power eventually kicks back in, then everybody’s equipment (especially fridges and freezers) have to work doubly hard to get back up to speed. Result? More work for GPL’s equipment, more fuel to burn. Unless of course, they are looking (probably salivating?) at the additional revenue they will get just for this reason.
Here’s what I think might be the biggest conspiracy of it all, and this has to do in particular with us on the East Coast (and Berbice too Mr. Suseran) getting the bulk of the blackouts. See, in these areas, the bulk of the government support reside. So no matter how miserably they live, all will be forgotten come election day.
What say you?
Sunday, October 26, 2008
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