By Timothy Hendricks- In Georgetown, where the hum of generators has become the unwelcome soundtrack of daily life, Guyana’s protracted blackouts, on an almost daily basis, stand as a serious indictment of the incumbent PPP/C government’s abject incompetence and the festering rot that permeates its every recess.
It is a systemic failure, a betrayal of the people’s trust, and a damning testament to a regime that has squandered the nation’s newfound oil wealth on grand illusions while leaving citizens in the literal and figurative dark. Under the PPP/C the bar of governmental performance has been set so appallingly low that one could not limbo under it even if equipped with three pairs of legs.
Recall that, some time ago, the PPP/C, in a desperate bid to mask their chronic mismanagement of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), heralded the hiring of two floating power ships from the Turkish company Karpowership as the panacea to our energy woes. With fanfare befitting a circus, they promised an end to blackouts, assuring the nation that these vessels would deliver reliable power and usher in an era of uninterrupted electricity.
The first ship, a 36MW behemoth, arrived amid pledges of stability, followed by the second, a 60MW addition docked in the Demerara River and connected to the grid just last year. “No more blackouts,” they proclaimed, as if mere words could conjure megawatts from thin air. Still, here we are in 2025, with blackouts plaguing households and businesses every single day, even during promised “blackout-free” holidays. The promises have evaporated like morning mist over the Essequibo, leaving only the bitter residue of deception.
And what of the cost to the taxpayer? This is where the rot truly reveals itself – no accountability, only reckless carelessness from an uncaring government that treats public funds as their personal slush fund. The two power ships are bleeding the nation dry, with daily rental costs for the first ship alone amounting to approximately US$63,000, and the second escalating the bill further.
Over two years, Guyana is on the hook for a staggering GY$94 billion just to keep these floating Band-Aids operational. Add to that the fuel expenses: in 2025 alone, the government plans to spend GY$26.2 billion, equivalent to roughly US$126 million, on fuel for these ships. These are not investments in sustainable infrastructure; they are extravagant rentals that will sail away after their contracts expire, leaving us no wiser or better equipped.
Where is the transparency? Where are the audits? The PPP/C’s opacity is deliberate, a shield for their profligacy. Billions siphoned from the oil revenues that should be building a resilient grid are instead funneled into temporary, nonsensical fixes, enriching foreign contractors while Guyanese sweat in the dark. This is not governance; it is grand larceny disguised as policy.
The far-reaching effects of this unreliable power supply ripple through every stratum of society, strangling corporate Guyana and tormenting ordinary citizens alike. For businesses, the blackouts are a chokehold on productivity. Factories grind to a halt, operations are disrupted, and millions in revenue are lost with each outage. In an economy touted as the world’s fastest-growing, thanks to our oil boom, manufacturers cannot compete when power flickers like fairy lights in a storm. Small enterprises, the backbone of our local communities, face spoiled inventory, damaged equipment, and shuttered doors.
The tourism sector, which the PPP/C loves to parade as a success story, suffers as hotels and restaurants scramble with generators, inflating costs and deterring visitors. And for the ordinary citizen? The agony is personal and profound. Families endure stifling heat without fans or air conditioning, disrupting sleep and health.
Students study by candlelight, their education hampered in an age of digital learning. Healthcare facilities teeter on the edge, with life-saving equipment at risk during surges and failures. It is ridiculous – nay, criminal- hat in a nation poised for transformation, blackouts have become an unwanted national institution, eroding quality of life and stunting progress.
Most galling of all is the irony: Guyana, an oil-rich nation pumping hundreds of thousands of barrels daily from ExxonMobil-led ventures, subjects its citizens to near-daily blackouts. We sit atop vast reserves, yet our power grid relies on imported heavy fuel oil and rented ships, while the Gas-to-Energy project (another PPP/C mirage) languishes in delays and cost overruns.
This is the epitome of incompetence: a government that boasts of billions in oil revenues but cannot keep the lights on. It exposes the deep rot within the PPP/C – a cabal more interested in self-enrichment and divisive politics than in equitable development. Their failures are not accidental; they are the product of cronyism, poor planning, and a blatant disregard for the people’s plight.
Guyanese, it is time to demand more. We cannot limbo under this low bar any longer. The blackouts are not just power failures; they are failures of leadership. Let us reject this rot and strive for a government that delivers reliable energy, accountability, and true prosperity for all. The lights must come on – not just in our homes, but in the halls of power.
