KINGSTON, Jamaica — Government Senator Abka Fitz-Henley says Jamaicans may be confident that the Energy Minister Daryl Vaz and the Holness administration will be firm in ensuring that terms beneficial to the people will be worked out as it moves to negotiate a new electricity licensing arrangement.

Fitz-Henley made the declaration during a sitting of the Upper House of Parliament today.

He welcomed as encouraging the indication from Vaz at a media conference earlier this week that the Government will not agree to a new Jamaica Public Service (JPS) licence with the existing “problematic terms”.

“I must commend minister Vaz and the Cabinet for having the political will to signal to the Jamaica Public Service company that the current licence will not be renewed under existing problematic terms. It’s a step in the right direction. The minister has been pursuing a number of initiatives, including the rural bus system, additional JUTC buses and various WiFi projects across the country, which augur well for making the lives of our people easier and more convenient. These efforts must be supported by every well-thinking Jamaican”, Fitz-Henley commented.

Fitz-Henley told Parliament he is confident that Vaz will deliver changes to the energy sector which are consumer-friendly.

“I have sat in meetings with the minister after Hurricane Beryl when we placed all the utilities in one group in order to centralise communication to the people of Jamaica on the effort to restore services to build back stronger. I saw firsthand his annoyance during that phase when Jamaicans were burdened by inefficient systems, delayed reconnection and general lack of service delivery. He refused to put up with it. I am sure similar rigour will be applied as the minister moves to cut electricity costs”, Fitz-Henley remarked.

The senator also chided Kingston East Member of Parliament and former Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell, who on January 27, 2016, presented the JPS with the existing licence.

“I cannot express similar confidence in Mr Paulwell, who now wants to be energy minister again, but he and the PNP administration in January 2016, just under a month before the General Election, committed Jamaica to a deal which was tantamount to allowing JPS to put their feet on the necks of the Jamaican people”, Fitz-Henley concluded.