BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth — Not for the first time, electricity provider Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) got a tongue-lashing from councillors of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation at their monthly meeting here last Thursday.

Apart from what councillors felt has been chronically poor service, the JPS was chastised for allegedly showing scant regard to complaints from the public; and for a perceived lack of accountability in failing to attend municipal corporation meetings to answer questions.

The discussion started when chief executive officer of the corporation, Errol Lebert, told the meeting that he had reached out to the JPS and was told that it would not be possible to send a representative to Thursday’s meeting. Instead, the electricity provider, while apologising, had said it would be represented at the corporation’s infrastructure committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 14.

Councillor Layton Smith (People’s National Party, Myersville Division) told his colleagues that he had been at his wits’ end for a prolonged period trying in vain to get the JPS to resolve a dangerous situation involving “live wires” running through trees. Despite persistent representation on his part, no action had been taken, he said.

Councillor Richard Solomon (Jamaica Labour Party, New Market Division) rose to tell the council that he has had a similar experience. Even after “posting pictures” of overhanging wires on social media, the dangerous situation “remained the same”, said Solomon.

An angry Councillor Everton Fisher (PNP, Balaclava Division), and a former mayor of Black River, declared that the municipal corporation should take the blame for allowing JPS to show scant regard.

The municipality is led by the JLP with Councillor Derrick Sangster (Mountainside Division), who was absent from Thursday’s meeting, as chairman and mayor of Black River.

“Shame on this council! Shame on the council! We are not standing up to our responsibilities,” said Fisher.

In arguing that the JPS was taking the municipality “for granted”, Fisher said it was “sad that the municipal corporation allows this to happen [since] we are so uniquely connected to the communities and [citizens’] relationship with JPS…

“If is the light to be changed it’s the council, if is entangled wire… anything at all to deal with Jamaica Public Service [people complain to parish councillors]…” Fisher said.

He later told the Jamaica Observer that while he chaired the council, over the period 2012 to 2016, and during the tenure of his predecessor Councillor Jeremy Palmer (JLP, Pedro Plains Division), JPS was held “accountable”. Fisher, a long-time critic of JPS, recalled that under his leadership then head of the electricity provider in Jamaica, Kelly Tomblin, had visited Black River to explain the company’s policies to councillors.

Councillor Donald Simpson (JLP, Malvern Division), who chaired Thursday’s meeting in the absence of Sangster, agreed that the JPS was doing a poor job. This was especially unfortunate, he suggested, since the JLP Government, which took political power in 2016, had cleared a $7-billion debt to JPS with the understanding that electricity service would be improved.

“I don’t think any councillor can be pleased with the behaviour of JPS, especially after that massive amount of money was paid … so I believe and hope and trust the JPS will be here on Tuesday where we can [express] our frustration and that [going forward] we will have better service from them…,” said Simpson.

A bizarre twist — which turned humorous at times — followed, with the outspoken Councillor Mugabe Kilimanjaro (PNP, Ipswich Division) noting that criticising JPS was a “humongous waste of time” since the corporation had no authority over the company.

Nonetheless, he said, there were JLP councillors who should admit their error, having enthusiastically praised JPS while supporting the Government’s paying off its debt five years ago.

Kilimanjaro identified Solomon, Cetany Holness (Junction Division) and Christopher Williams (Santa Cruz Division) as the councillors who should “man up”.

The three chuckled and smiled but made no response. However, JLP colleagues came to their defence, including Withney Smith-Currie (Brompton Division), George Powell (Lacovia Division) and Palmer.

Smith-Currie argued that while the JPS was “failing” in its mandate, the Government should not be blamed for paying its debt.

“When you owe and you are able to pay, that cannot be a bad thing,” she said, to much applause from JLP colleagues.

“What we had hoped for was that JPS delivered on their mandate as sole supplier [of electricity] … they have failed in their responsibility. The main issue here is that JPS is not living up to their mandate. They are not [servicing] street lights… not answering our calls whenever customers contact us and we contact them… We are not getting value for money. It’s important that we speak up, because when we pay our debt and we continue to pay, then we should be able to get value for the money. We can’t blame the Government for that, we have to place responsibility at the feet of JPS… we don’t want to mix politics. When we go down that line we [are] going to end up blaming each other, instead of the real culprits…,” said Smith-Currie.