The following is a letter from Prime Minister and Minister responsible for the electricity sector, Samuel Hinds in response to a headline carried in the Kaieteur News of April 14, 2008 to which the Prime Minister raised strong objection:-

“Prime Minister wishes to record his objection on one of the front page headlines in the Kaieteur Newspaper publication of April 14, 2008, which appears again on page 9 and reads: ‘Report use of generator or face jail – Prime Minister’.

Your headline wrongly conveys the impression that the words ‘Report use of generator or face jail’ is a direct quote from the Prime Minister.

Moreover, there was no press release issued by or interview with the Prime Minister; your article was produced solely from a public notice which I released to be published in the three daily newspapers of Sunday, April 13, 2008.

The headline misrepresents the contents and intent of that public notice placed in the newspapers regarding the statutory requirement under the Electricity Sector Reform Act 1999 (ESRA) for persons who self generate electricity to file a report. Such misrepresentation is calculated to create an atmosphere of oppression and suppression by the Prime Minister and by extension the Government.

Generation of electricity by any person for his/her use is permitted by ESRA, it was this government which enshrined the right to self generate in law. The law (ESRA) however requires that persons who self generate, file a report with the Prime Minister.

The public notice issued by the Prime Minister, in exercise of his statutory mandate, clarifies that such report is to be filed on a prescribed form available at no cost and that there is no fee for filing such report.

Further, the notice explains that the primary objective of the statutory requirement for reporting self generation is to gather information necessary for setting energy policy and monitoring any unlawful supply of electricity. The public notice calls attention to the fact that failure to file such report amounts to a breach of the ESRA which is subject to a fine under section 59 (2) of that law. Nothing in that sub-section speaks to imprisonment or a fine of $1M.Your article links in an irresponsible manner the lawful supply of electricity, which is unquestionably a different and more serious offence, with the failure to report self generation of electricity.

Whilst this news report has drawn the nation’s attention to the legal requirement outlined in the public notice, Prime Minister would have welcomed this story being presented as Kaieteur News’ own urging to the populace to comply with relevant law. Nonetheless, Prime Minister strongly denounces the headline in question which was attributed to him as erroneous, misleading and amounting to deliberate misrepresentation”.
Samuel A Hinds
Prime Minister & Minister responsible for the electricity sector