demanding gebe to do the impossible will not solve a single thing

Dear Editor,

Wouldn’t you like to know what was said inside GEBE after ACP-SXM delivered its petition?

I am sure there were some serious discussions, because the demands from ACP-SXM are not small. They touch the heart of what people are angry about right now: the fuel clause increase and the disconnection of homes.

Let me say from the start that I understand why people are upset. Many families are under pressure. Light bills are high. Some people still do not trust the bills they are receiving. So when ACP-SXM calls for the retroactive fuel clause increase to be reversed and for residential disconnections to be stopped, it is easy to understand why many people support those demands.

But understanding the anger does not mean the solution is simple.

Take the fuel clause, for example. GEBE buys fuel to produce electricity. If the fuel clause was used to recover fuel costs that GEBE already paid, then the question becomes: if that charge is reversed, who pays the difference?

That does not mean ACP-SXM is wrong to question it. The public has every right to demand answers. GEBE must explain, in simple language, how the fuel clause was calculated, what period it covered, what fuel costs were being recovered, whether the correct process was followed, and whether applying it retroactively was lawful and fair.

People should not have to guess. GEBE should explain it clearly.

The demand to stop residential disconnections is also easy to understand. No one should take lightly the hardship that families are facing. Losing electricity affects children, seniors, sick people and working families. It is a serious matter.

But a full stop on all residential disconnections also comes with risks. If GEBE says no homes will be disconnected, some people who can pay may decide not to pay. Others may stop honoring payment plans. Some may use the confusion as a reason to wait. That can create a serious cashflow problem for GEBE, and if GEBE’s cashflow dries up, the whole country will feel it.

At the same time, GEBE cannot treat every unpaid bill as if the customer simply refuses to pay. That would be unfair.

A big part of the public anger comes from the belief that some bills are wrong. Some people believe their balances are too high because of billing errors or unresolved problems from GEBE’s system. When a person believes a bill is wrong, payment becomes more than a money issue. It becomes a trust issue.

People are less likely to enter or honor a payment plan if they believe the amount being collected is not correct.

That is why GEBE needs to separate the issues. Non-payment, billing disputes and genuine hardship are not all the same. They should not be treated the same.

GEBE should publish general numbers. How many accounts are in arrears? How many of those accounts are under dispute? How many billing complaints are still unresolved? How long does it usually take to review a complaint? How many bills have been corrected after review?

These are not unreasonable questions. They are basic facts the public needs.

Without those numbers, people will continue to speculate. Every disconnection will look unfair. Every demand for payment will be met with suspicion. ACP-SXM and GEBE also cannot have an honest discussion if the country does not know what is really driving the problem.

If many accounts are in arrears but a large number of those bills are being disputed, then GEBE must separate verified debt from contested debt. If only a small number of bills are under dispute, the public should know that too.

Either way, facts are better than rumors.

Maybe the answer is not a blanket pause on all disconnections. Maybe the better answer is a structured pause.

GEBE should pause disconnections for customers who have active and credible billing disputes, or customers who are waiting for their bills to be reviewed or corrected. But once a bill is checked, corrected if necessary, and properly explained, the customer should be expected to pay or keep a payment plan.

That is fair to the customer, and it is fair to GEBE.

There is a difference between protecting people who are caught in billing confusion and giving a free pass to people who can pay but choose not to. Right now, those two groups are being mixed together in the public debate, and that only makes the situation worse.

The country needs clarity. GEBE needs to speak plainly. ACP-SXM is right to demand transparency. But the solution must also be practical, because GEBE cannot run without money, and the public cannot keep being asked to trust a system that has not explained itself properly.

Before the country can settle the argument over disconnections and arrears, we need the facts.

The information is necessary and ACP need to understand that it cannot bully the company into a position that could end up worse for everybody.

An attentive citizen

(𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦’𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳. 𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺, 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.)

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