The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) licence will expire July 2027. And the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Administration has stated its intention not to renew the licence, at least under the present terms of agreement.

I have long argued that JPS has been in urgent need of redirecting, if not revamping. The 20-year licence, which is now coming to an end, gave it a virtual monopoly over electricity generation in Jamaica. There have been times when it clearly behaved as a true monopoly, and, in my opinion, failed to act in the best interest of Jamaicans, who have no choice but to consume its products.

As a monopoly, too, the obvious efficiencies in its operations were often absent. This became obvious when Hurricane Beryl devastated sections of the country, especially in the southern belt. Many people did not have their services restored for almost a year, despite assurances from the company that they would. It took some amount of castigation from the Minister of Energy Daryl Vaz to urge it along, and even then, the company dragged its feet while customers suffered.

I argued in a piece then that the Government should take a critical look at JPS’s contract and the Government’s 20 per cent share in the company. I urged that the JPS monopoly over our electrical services should be brought to an end. I was, therefore, very heartened when the minister said that this is the direction in which the Government will be going.

Let me be clear that termination of the contract cannot be a mere end in itself. With its expiry, the Government now has the opportunity to develop a far-reaching, comprehensive, and well-integrated energy policy, of which the JPS can be a part. In fact, JPS must now join the line with others that might be interested. It need not be at the head of the line either. There should be no special consideration given to the company.

In referring to a well-integrated energy policy, I am mindful of the need for the country to divest itself of fossil fuels as the main component of electricity generation in Jamaica. We are living in a new era of renewable energy generation, not only because it helps to protect the planet on which we all live, but because it is a cheaper source of energy for all of us. We cannot follow the hard-headed and asinine policy that we see coming from the US and enshrined in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which is now law. Its promotion of fossil fuels and a return to coal as being essential to America’s energy needs makes the Act as ugly as a frog with dentures.

I predict that the “drill, baby, drill” that he advocates will not take place anytime soon. Despite all the incentives in the Act to the big oil companies, my strong feeling is that what is hoped for will not occur, certainly not at the speed that he anticipates. It is very expensive to put down new wells and eventually bring a barrel of oil to market. The big players in the market are not fools. They must see the writing on the wall for fossil fuels and should fear what may happen when Trump is no longer a factor in American decision-making.

In any event, this is the wrong way to go, and one hopes that Jamaica will begin to look critically at what can be done. We are in the silly season of the election and one does not expect a great deal of thinking to take place at this time. Consultation with stakeholders will be critical in the evolution of a new energy policy. We cannot lose sight of the importance that this moment presents.

The Rural bus service for schoolchildren

The Government has finally begun the roll-out of the rural bus service for schoolchildren. Interestingly, this is also under the aegis of the hard-working Minister of Energy and Transportation. Like him or hate him, Vaz is one of the hardest working ministers of Government — he gets things done! Even his worst detractors ought to admit this.

From public comments to date, schools that have begun to see the benefits of this programme are expressing satisfaction with it. Some will say the Government deserves no accolades for this, yet for years children have had to contend with the brutalities of the shambolic public transportation system when commuting to and from school. They get to school tired and dishevelled and they get home tired and dishevelled. The conditions under which they travel on robot taxis are a major concern.

Yet the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has weighed in with a very negative assessment of the programme. They deride the old buses that children will have to travel on as not being safe and propose instead an arrangement with taxi drivers for schoolchildren to commute. But parents will more trust an orderly delivery of their children to school than a system that has proven to be injurious to the health of our children, especially our girls.

I predict that this new initiative will find favour with most parents who fret about their children taking taxis or having to jostle with sometimes lecherous adults on other forms of public transportation. How the PNP thinks it can score political points by opposing such an initiative is beyond my puny mind to grasp. Sometimes, silence is really ‘golding’; oops, golden.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; Your Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues — on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.

Raulston Nembhard