BVIEC boss dismisses mismanagement claims
BVI Electricity Corporation General Manager Dr Neil Smith has dismissed claims of maladministration, outdated technology and a failure to innovate at the publicly owned power company as “rubbish”.
Smith rejected the accusations during a government press conference after reporter Cindy Rosan presented several criticisms of BVIEC for a response.
The criticisms described the government as an uncontrolled creditor of the corporation and alleged that BVIEC had failed to innovate. They also questioned the utility’s fuel procurement arrangements, information technology systems, billing practices, approach to competition for fuel contracts and outstanding audited financial statements.
“That is rubbish,” Smith stated.
Smith described BVIEC as one of the territory’s most sophisticated statutory bodies and maintained that it remained accountable to the public.
“The BVIEC, not because I’m the general manager now, it’s probably one of the most sophisticated statutory bodies you have on the island,” Smith stated.
He also rejected the characterisation of the government as an uncontrolled creditor. Smith said government agencies must follow an extensive process before transferring funds to BVIEC.
“Government is not an uncontrolled creditor. Government has to be very careful with how it deals with money,” Smith stated.
“Anytime they transfer funds to us, it’s a long, laborious process that we have to go through. We have to prove certain things,” he added.
Smith said officials must be satisfied with the supporting information before Cabinet makes decisions involving payments to the corporation. He also denied that BVIEC operated outdated information technology systems.
“IT systems outdated, that is absolutely not true. IT systems are even more sophisticated than central government,” Smith stated.
The dispute arose amid public concern over high August electricity bills, which BVIEC attributed to record fuel costs in July. The corporation said fuel reached $3.9609 per gallon and its monthly fuel expenditure climbed to approximately $6.07 million. BVIEC later announced that customers would receive account credits, yet to be determined, as part of the government’s response to the increased costs.
The corporation said it absorbed more than $1 million in fuel costs on customers’ behalf.
Smith said the evidence contradicted claims that the utility’s operations were archaic or outdated.
“So, I know that perhaps in the Virgin Islands, people need to get a dopamine fix, but they should not, in the process, malign institutions that clearly demonstrate what they’re saying is not true,” Smith stated.
Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer supported Smith’s response. “I think you answered accurately in my eyes. I would basically say the same,” Rymer stated.
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Dumb and Dumber, a failure of a Minister and the worst FS in VI history, may God help these Virgin Islands.
Seems like a bit of “I’ll cover your a$$ if you’ll cover our a$$”, all as the people watch elected and appointed members of the elite recklessly spend our money and operate Government controlled utilities under the shadows of 5 years of unaudited accounts (BVIEC) and 10 plus years of unaudited accounts for Government as a whole! Of course, don’t forget $2.5 mil to a Jamaican investment opportunity that was already under investigation, $5 million to a bank that was court ordered not to receive any further deposits, a $7 million plane lost to now dissolved companies …… hidden internal investigations on themselves. You can’t make this stuff up!
Deflect and move on, that is their true skill. All while a feckless Governor and UK look on, a pointless COI that’s done nothing, and in their silence endorse the disgraceful behavior of our Government’s elite! Carry on, business as usual.
There is something nefarious going on, there is mismanagement somewhere and the fact that your last audited financial statements are 2021 tells me some persons needed to be fired long long time ago.
BATMAN AND ROBIN
It’s so funny how people ask for transparency and all these different measures, but when it’s actually put into practice and it takes time, they are still upset. There’s no quick and easy way to go through these new financial/procurement processes and that’s a fact especially when dealing with overzealous civil servants. You begged for convoluted systems and now you got them so deal with the consequences of a slow system with persons holding up progress in the name of red tape.
Stop talking nonsense . Throwing out words and degrading institutions without substance. It is cowardice to throw about such loaded remarks without facts and clear analytics to show the truth of what you say.
Who are you to judge? We need an Audit investigation. You can’t be the boss and audit yourself.
So far, in all this fiasco, we have not been told anything that can be verified, just a lot of covering for each other. And because it’s so political, the opposition is silent.
The voters of this country have backed themselves into a real mess.
Mr, stop playing games and taking the people for fools. You, the board and the Government have run the BVIelectricty corp into the ground.
The talk is that you all owe for fuel and can’t pay other debts, so the Government give the green light to kill the people while Govt and a chosen few who can’t be touched owe big money.
Stop selling us a story; it is alleged that you and the Financial Comptroller and the Board are clueless. Your department needs a forensic Audit.
You all have treated locals like dirt while issuing public apologies to others who don’t look like us, when you step out of bounds with them. No wonder the man responsible for accountability is silent on this whole thing.
Of course there is mismanagement if they have not been able to produce audited accounts.
It’s funny that BVIEC has been the ONLY Government body to be praised over and over for their continued hard work after storms, floods or whatever, even helping with recoveries overseas. As soon as they talk about collecting their money all of a sudden, they become the devils on the land! This has always been the BVI’s problem and why we are in the mess we are in today. For decades government after government appease these people, allowing them to run up light bills, water bills for homes/business and now that accountability is in full swing, everyone is upset and now BVIEC are the worse.
its not normal to loose power all the time. 3 times over the weekend we lost power at night. THIS IS NOT NORMAL. it is here an they just dont care. Big business are going to be penalized for using electricity. We also have to buy generators costing 27K before installation and transfer switches so once completed its 50K then a security dep[osit $6600 but the power is disconected after 14 days. This is just unacceptable. Why 2 months and we get 14 days security. Its just an interest free loan to a failing government agency. Its its maxed out and effeciant how came they are shedding load. It should be self sufficient. Nothing adds up here. They were hacked so clearly not state of the art. Did they pay a ranson? is that whey they are broke. You wrote off 20M to the Government and then come to the other customers to cover the short fall. Its extortion nothing less. You have a two tier system where owners and renters pay different security depoist.
With fuel surcharge fees at 260% what they were a few months ago, but gas prices nowhere near that, someone is telling porky pies.