Former BPL Chairman Wants More Firings at BPL, Calls for Fuel Price Relief

Advertisement

NASSAU , BAHAMAS – Bahamas Electrical Workers Union President Kyle Wilson recently came under scrutiny amid controversy over overtime payments at BPL.

The Supreme Court granted Wilson an injunction following his five-working-day suspension with full pay, which began September 22.

That same day, former BPL Senior Mechanical Technician Wellington Porter and BPL Manager Melvin Babb were fired.

Former Cabinet Minister Leslie Miller says he believes more employees should face consequences if they are found to have taken advantage of the system.

Leslie Miller – Former Cabinet Minister

“We fire couple a the guys. What’s so tough with that? If you taking advantage of the Bahamian people, we get rid of you.”

“It’s a joke, it’s a joke. The fellas dem take us for jackasses.”

Miller is also questioning the circumstances surrounding BPL’s ongoing power supply problems.

Frequent outages, linked to weather, equipment failures and planned maintenance, continue to frustrate residents.

He expressed scepticism about some of the explanations given for the interruptions.

Leslie Miller – Former Cabinet Minister

“I’m convinced that them [expletive] is fire off firecrackers and call it damn lightning. Lightning could strike a place three times in a row? Get real. Huh?”

But Miller’s criticism extends beyond BPL.

He is also calling on the government to intervene as fuel prices continue to climb.

As of Monday, gasoline prices at the country’s three major retailers had risen above seven dollars per gallon, while diesel was selling for eight dollars per gallon.

The increases have added pressure on bus and taxi drivers, who are calling for higher fares, with industrial action also a possibility.

Miller says the government should consider reducing fuel markups to bring some relief to motorists and the transportation sector.

Leslie Miller – Former Cabinet Minister

“We gotta cut the margins that they are getting on the fuel, which is over a dollar. I would suggest to the government that you cut back until fuel is at $6.50 a gallon.”