JPS and protection of consumers’ interests ... ent?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Could you please help me pose the question “Ent?” to the public in relation to a concerning issue identified by the energy minister? Ent? (‘Isn’t that so?’ ‘Isn’t that true?’ ‘Right?’)

Well before I reached age 20, I went to Trinidad and Tobago for my tertiary education, where I learnt to read seriously between the lines and think really critically. I shared the Gospel, discovered Toco, good married, started a family, and for over nine years, I immersed myself in multiculturalism. I learned to cook like an Indian, fell in love with prolific Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar, while embracing calypso, soca, and parang. This experience broadened my horizons, allowing me to appreciate beauty, curry, jira (cumin), doubles, bul jol, shark and bake, mauby, picong, and irony in new ways. I even mastered Trini English, using phrases like ‘all-yuh’, ‘jes nau (the trickiest)’, and ‘ent?’ with confidence.

My journey continued in Mexico, working in the energy sector. There, I embraced the culture, discovered Isla Mujeres, and learnt to smoothly wield phrases like Verdad, ahorita vengo (the hardest), and Jamaiquino (‘nunca Jamaicano’).

Yet, ‘ent?’ from Trinidad remained my favourite, capturing the essence of seeking agreement.

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on Energy Minister Daryl Vaz’s statements against the Jamaica Public Service (JPS). Reading between the lines, his arguments suggest a need to re-evaluate JPS’s monopoly. Key issues include the Electricity Disaster Fund, force majeure relief, fuel cost increases, and the OUR’s perceived leniency. Curious to rahtid!

These concerns raise questions about JPS’s commitment to consumer welfare. If JPS can’t be a reasonably responsible corporate citizen, exploring alternatives might better serve Jamaicans, ent? While Vaz doesn’t explicitly call for revoking JPS’s licence, his points challenge the company’s monopoly.

As my friend Phillip Paulwell, the opposition shadow minister for energy, might agree, we must consider these implications carefully to protect Jamaican consumers’ interests. Ent?

DENNIS MINOTT