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Shadow Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture Nima Flu-Bess is not accepting the government’s explanation for Monday power outage at the National Stadium during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) cricket match. The government, in a statement, said the stadium was powered by independent generating sets and not the state-owned Guyana Power and Light grid, absolving itself from responsibility.
Flue-Bess has since countered. In a recent statement the shadow minister said the outage at the stadium is not an isolated incident, but part of a pattern of neglect, poor management and a government asleep at the wheel. Expressing her disappointment on the issue the Member of Parliament (MP) alluded to “millions of viewers worldwide, their eyes fixed on Guyana, were suddenly left in the dark—literally.”
The blackout, the MP said, was just another symptom of the deep-seated issues plaguing Guyana’s sporting infrastructure, despite funds being allocated in the national budget to maintain these facilities.
Offering an overview of stadium condition the shadow minister addressed what she called “cracks in the system” identified in “leaky roofs, filthy stadiums, and now a total power outage at an event of this magnitude.”
It is the MP’s view, given the high-profile game, government had a responsibility to ensure all the bases were covered. She contended the task for ensuring Guyana’s sporting venues are up to par is that of Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Charles Ramson Jr. and he “failed Guyana in spectacular fashion.”
Blasting the government for poor oversight and maintenance of the stadium, Flue-Bess asserted the blame for the outage on Monday lies squarely at the government’s feet which has clearly prioritised excuses over real solutions. To the end the MP said the minister should apologise to the nation and resign.
Backgrounding the call the shadow minister pointed to another incident involving the minister and his failure to apologize to sculptor and Burrowes School of Arts Administrator, Ivor Thom, over a racial incident.
Also attracting Flue-Bess ire is the minister’s “lack of professionalism in dealing with public servants” and attempt by him to cover his incompetence by seeking refuge in identifying failures in other societies.
MP Flue-Bess full statement follows:
GUYANA’S EMBARRASSMENT: BLACKOUT AT THE NATIONAL STADIUM DURING CPL EXPOSES GOVERNMENT NEGLIGENCE AND USUAL INCOMPETENCE
Under the current PPP/C administration, national embarrassments seem to have become the hallmark of Guyana. The most recent shameful occurrence came on October 1st, 2024, when the lights at the Guyana National Stadium went out during a highly anticipated Caribbean Premier League (CPL) cricket match, plunging the stadium into darkness and embarrassing our nation on the regional and global stage. This is not an isolated incident; it’s part of a pattern of neglect, poor management and a government asleep at the wheel.
Imagine, millions of viewers worldwide, their eyes fixed on Guyana, were suddenly left in the dark—literally. The blackout was just another symptom of the deep-seated issues plaguing our nation’s sporting infrastructure, despite funds being allocated in the national budget to maintain these facilities. The cracks in our system are showing—leaky roofs, filthy stadiums, and now a total power outage at an event of this magnitude.
The government knew full well that Guyana would have been hosting not only the CPL but also international events like the Aliann Pompey Invitational and the International Karate Daigaku World Cup. Yet, each of these events has been tainted by logistical failures and facility breakdowns that could have been avoided with proper management. This blackout, this disgrace, is not just about a flick of a switch—it’s about incompetence at the highest levels. The Ministry of Youth, Sport, and Culture, tasked with ensuring our sporting venues are up to par, have failed Guyana in spectacular fashion. The hard-working staff at these venues can only do so much with the meagre resources they are given. The blame lies squarely at the feet of the government, which has clearly prioritized excuses over real solutions.
To add salt to the wound, this blackout occurred during the CPL, a tournament that has seen record-breaking viewership for four consecutive years, with over half a billion people tuning in globally. In 2022, over 722 million people worldwide watched the CPL.
This year, Guyana has become a laughingstock in front of this large global viewership. Which investor in their right mind would consider pouring money into a nation where such failures are now routine? A single blackout, viewed by hundreds of millions of people, can shatter any image of reliability and stability that Guyana might try to project. This is occurring while the economic stake is significant.
The CPL injected a staggering US$101.6 million into Guyana’s economy in 2023 alone, the equivalent of over GYD $20 billion. This blackout puts that lifeline at risk. What if the CPL board decides to cut Guyana from the hosting rotation? What if they decide that this country is no longer capable of handling such prestigious events? The result will impact negatively. It will be a significant blow to the entertainment sport and business sectors.
Apart from the embarrassment caused by the government’s incompetence, it is also a manifestation of the crisis of governance. What makes it worse is the incompetent Minister Charles Ramson seeking refuge in identifying failures in other societies to cover his incompetence.
Mr. Ramson should do the decent things – apologise to the nation and resign. This is coming from a Minister who is still to apologize to Mr. Ivor Thom for the racist comments against Mr. Thom and to address the fact that he manifested a lack of professionalism in dealing with public servants.
We are not talking about a one-off mistake. This is systemic incompetence and lack of professionalism and an inability to have contingencies for such possible failures so as to reduce the negative impact. It is also indicative of a government that has repeatedly shown it cannot manage the affairs of the country, let alone its international reputation. How many more times will Guyana have to endure such humiliation internationally, before the government realizes and acknowledges that it is out of its depth?