Works Minister Desmond Bannister broke his silence Wednesday on Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) and the recent fall out of all its board members being asked to resign, which he said, had to happen as members were not on one accord.
After weeks of turmoil at BPL, Bannister admitted in a statement yesterday, that the relationship among board members had deteriorated.
Sources close to the matter informed Eyewitness News that interference by the Ministry of Works in BPL’s daily operations was also a factor in the breakdown of the board.
Bannister thanked the outgoing board in the statement saying that “regrettably in recent times, the board remained locked at loggerheads with respect to virtually every critical issue.”
Some of the issues were addressed Tuesday by President for the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) Paul Maynard on ILTV’s Beyond the Headlines.
He was joined by President of The Bahamas Electrical Utilities Managerial Union (BEUMU) Anthony Christie, and they both expressed their concern at the fact that consultants were being hired which they said, did not go in line with company policy.
Works Minister Desmond Bannister said in his statement yesterday that the challenges with the board became costly to BPL and three members offered their resignations.
It was in those circumstances, he said, that it was important the company seek new leadership.
Christie added that following the voluntary separation exercise, operations within the company went from bad to worse.
Under the former administration, the government entered into a five-year management agreement with Power Secure.
That agreement, however, was terminated.
Former Works Minister Philip Davis – who was also responsible for BPL said, he was surprised by the resignations.
The board, he said, did away with all of the plans that the former administration left in place for the company.
According to reports, the new executive board is expected to be in place by as early as tomorrow.
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