Last week Bahamas Electricity Corporation bosses were severely scolded by both Prime Minister Perry Christie and Minister of Works and Utilities Bradley B. Roberts, for doing a poor job of running the corporation, despite the hefty salaries they received.
With the number of complaints regularly made against BEC by the public, there is an inescapable conclusion that there are many opportunities for improvement at that government corporation.
Minister Roberts was one of the first members of the government to strongly criticise BEC, but now that the Prime Minister has joined in, people will expect the government to step in and do something to correct this situation.
It would do the government no good to repeatedly criticise the shoddy management of BEC, and then stand aside and do nothing.
If such inaction takes place, the government itself would deserve harsh criticism.
Moreover, as of last week, the public was apprised as to the salaries and benefits received by those at the top at BEC, which should be no secret in the first place, since the corporation is government-owned and therefore answerable to the people.
Both the General Manager and Deputy General Manager command high salaries, in addition to receiving additional perks, including extra allowances, company cars, and cell phones. Not to mention entertainment and travel expenses, which are also paid for by the Corporation.
And, while no one is saying that “captains of industry” should not be highly paid, they should only receive high salaries and extras if they are performing their jobs up to a high standard.
The Bahamas is only following in the footsteps of our American counterparts.
It has been found that the Chief of Operations in numerous American companies, which are not performing well, are still “raking in” millions of dollars and receiving lots of incentives. However, at the same time, employees at these companies are losing their jobs and benefits.
So now that the government has launched a “double prong” attack against the management of BEC, it has to prove to the people that it will take action if operations are not improved.
The public is long past being weary of hearing how much money is being spent to improve BEC’s services each year, but never seeing commensurate results.
Those responsible for BEC’s performance must be seen to take these matters quite seriously or see the end of those pumped-up salaries and perks.
Editorial, The Nassau Guardian
