By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

DEPUTY Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday refuted claims from party colleague Leslie Miller about Bahamas Power and Light raising electricity bills to pay for foreign aid as “nonsense”, as he stressed that power bills have decreased by nearly 40 per cent since the Progressive Liberal Party took office.

Breaking away from his speech at a commissioning ceremony for Bahamas Power and Light’s (BPL) new 6,000 kilowatt stand-by generation plant in Harbour Island, Eleuthera on Thursday, Mr Davis admitted that he was “surprised”, while reading Mr Miller’s claims in Thursday’s edition of The Tribune, assertions he said misrepresented the hard work the government has done to lower energy costs since 2012.

When asked later by this newspaper about Mr Miller’s continued attacks on BPL since leaving the utility provider just prior to its transition, Mr Davis said he was “lost when it comes to what (Mr Miller) is trying to do”.

On Wednesday, Mr Miller told The Tribune that BPL does not “give a damn” about the Bahamian people. The former executive chairman of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation went on to accuse BPL of “increasing customers’ light bills” in order to pay “millions of dollars” to the “foreigners” who came to help with the restoration process after Hurricane Matthew.

Responding to those claims, however, Mr Davis, Minister of Works, said nothing could be further from the truth. He told the crowd gathered at the commissioning ceremony to look at their bills, guaranteeing that if they did so, they would see a decrease of nearly 40 per cent in the cost of energy when compared to bills issued in May 2012.

“You don’t have to ask me or listen to me, just look at your bills,” urged Mr Davis.

“You know that is why I had to raise by eyebrows this morning, I was real surprised when I saw The Tribune’s headline: ‘Miller: BPL has increased bills. MP says rise to pay-off foreign aid after Hurricane.’

“Total nonsense. Not true. There has been no increase in bills, and in fact, I invite everyone under the sound of my voice, if they are able to, look at their bill in May 2012 and look at it today. They would find that there is at least 40 per cent less than it was then.”

He continued: “Find an old bill, back in 2012 and look at what you are paying now today. And so, I have asked the chairman and deputy chairman to issue a statement to explain to the Bahamian people what actually is happening with respect to that issue and they will respond in due course.

“For me, like I said, there is no time for political (talk), we all saw the devastation of (Hurricane) Matthew; the corporation has gone the full course for what has happened in the restoration of the Bahamas. And as responsible citizens, we must all now focus on recovery and no, we didn’t increase any bills to pay any foreign aid after the hurricane,” Mr Davis stressed.

On Wednesday, Mr Miller said he had received dozens of calls from persons who have had their electricity turned off for a month’s payment. This was another claim the deputy prime minister took issue with.

“And (Mr Miller) talked about disconnection, I am advised that the only disconnection that is taking place now are those customers who have been delinquent since July and August. We are now in November,” said Mr Davis.

Earlier this week, BPL’s Corporate Communications Manager Arnette Ingraham confirmed that the company had resumed disconnections of past due accounts.

However, Mrs Ingraham said the company was only “disconnecting accounts with outstanding balances prior to Hurricane Matthew.”

Mr Davis on Thursday added: “Matthew visited us in October, the due time for the more current billings is 45 days. What I say to all is if you cannot pay all right now, go there and pay some and make arrangements.

“The company, the management and directors are willing to listen. They understand and are compassionate, and they understand the use and need for power. BPL is not heartless, and customer satisfaction is key to them, has always been and continues to be.”

In the wake of Matthew’s passage early last month, teams from PowerSecure and the Caribbean Electricity Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) assisted BPL in restoration efforts in New Providence.

Their efforts aided the company amid heavy criticism from the public as some residents in New Providence went without power for nearly four weeks.

Mr Miller, the PLP’s MP for Tall Pines, has previously criticised BPL and the government for “bringing in foreigners” to help in restoring power when, he claimed, “Bahamians could have done the same job.”

He also speculated several weeks ago that the government was paying more than $1m to “outsiders” when qualified Bahamians are being overlooked “for no real reason.”

Yesterday, Mr Davis said both his ministry and the government have done more than enough to communicate the efforts of BPL before and after Hurricane Matthew.

“We have spoken about this, (Miller) knows what is going on,” Mr Davis told The Tribune.

Asked if he had plans to reach out to Mr Miller directly to clarify the actions of BPL since the storm, an irritated looking Mr Davis shrugged his shoulders and smirked, stating: “I don’t know, we will see how this goes over; but (Miller) knows what we are doing. I am lost when it comes to what he is trying to do.”

PowerSecure, an American company, took over management of BEC in the spring. BEC was later renamed BPL.