POINTE XPRESS-The Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) has announced that the Wadadli Power Plant is no longer providing power to consumers and that operations there are being wound up.
Electricity Unit Business Manager, Andre Matthias, said the plant at Crabbes, which was commissioned in 2011, was decommissioned five years later in 2016.
There was an attempt to revive three of the plantâs six engines, but the engineers were only able to restore two.
âThe two engines were very unreliable resulting in many power outages. Then we lost one of the two to serious damage and last month we decided to close down the other engine because it was uneconomical to continue operating,â Matthias explained.
He disclosed that it was costing APUA more to operate the plant than to purchase power from the Antigua Power Company.
The Electricity Manager said his main concern now is the welfare of the twenty-three staff attached to the plant. He confirmed that he has been in touch with the trade unions that represent the workers.
âWhat we plan to do is to integrate those who can be consumed into other parts of the company or perhaps  with APC. Where we are unable to do so we may unfortunately have to terminate those workers but that is an option we hope to avoid,â he stated.
Matthias said he is preparing a report that will be submitted to APUAâs general manager and to the Board of Commissioners detailing the historical developments surrounding the plant.
Following this, he said it will be up to the board and the government to determine if they should seek compensation from the Chinese company which set up the plant. Power plants normally have a 20 to 30 year lifespan.
The Wadadli Power plant has failed to provide half that number in efficient service. At its commissioning, the plant became the centre of controversy as it was haunted by claims that it was not a new plant.
There were accusations that the former government had been duped into purchasing a used plant at the incredible cost of US$46 million.
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I hope and pray that ALL 23 workers are integrated elsewhere at APUA.
Baldwin Spencer did NOT seek PARLIAMENTARY APPROVAL (as required) before making this decision. Add this to his legacy. Generations of youth will go on to quote the “blood in hotel lobby” press conference.
Another stark reminder of a UPP failure in office.
And the tax payers have to pay for it for many years to come.
Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! “I was wondering it I could shape this passion just as I wanted in solid fire. I was wondering if the strange combustion of my days the tension of the world inside of me and the strength of my heart were enough.” – Martin Carter: SHAPE AND MOTION ONE!
This Failure is a National Shame! Not UPP! NOT ABLP! All of the People! “All Are Involved! All Are Consumed!” The Government is Us! The Bureaucrats are us! The Professionals are US! The Technicians are US! We of African Descent failed the Ancestors and their Struggles to be Masters in our own Land! âThere is no forgiveness when one who claims a superiority falls below the standard.â
âThe national bourgeoisie discovers its historical mission as intermediary. As we have seen, its vocation is not to transform the nation but prosaically serve as a conveyor belt for capitalism, forced to camouflage itself behind the mask of neocolonialism. The national bourgeoisie, with no misgivings and with great pride, revels in the role of agent in its dealings with the Western, Middle East and Eastern bourgeoisie. This lucrative role, this function as small-time racketeer, this narrow-mindedness and lack of ambition are symptomatic of the incapacity of the national bourgeoisie to fulfil its historic role as bourgeoisie. The dynamic, pioneering aspect, the inventive, discoverer-of-new-worlds aspect common to every national bourgeoisie is here lamentably absent. At the core of the national bourgeoisie of the colonial countries a hedonistic mentality prevailsâbecause on a psychological level it identifies with the Western, Middle East and Eastern bourgeoisie from which it has slurped every lesson. It mimics the Western, Middle East and Eastern bourgeoisie in its negative and decadent aspects without having accomplished the initial phases of exploration and invention that are the assets of this Western, Middle East and Eastern bourgeoisie whatever the circumstances. In its early days the national bourgeoisie of the colonial countries identifies with the last stages of the Western, Middle East and Eastern bourgeoisie. Donât believe it is taking short cuts. In fact it starts at the end. It is already senile, having experienced neither the exuberance nor the brazen determination of youth and adolescence.â â Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth!
@John French II…dem no kay!
I don’t agree with you at all on this one. This is not a national failure. Even a simple purchase of goods online allows you to return goods that are not up to standard. i bought an electronic item from Amazon and when I received it, it didn’t work after one month. I called and send an email, and they told me they would charge back my credit card and when I ask what to do with the electronic they told me to discard of it. Now years ago I was involved in the purchase of a million dollar lead time item in the construction I visited the plant where the item was fabricated with some other technical staff and we sign an agreement and the lawyer made sure that all the monies were placed in Escrow until such time that seller and buyer would agree on release of the monies in stages. And there was also a 10% retention that was released after one year. These UPP guys were to inept to understand how you go about purchasing lead time big money items. They got swindled so easily by some Chinese crooks. Like stealing candy from a child. I wonder if they even had a lawyer vetted their purchase agreement. Or perhaps it was Chaku their famous lawyer. You have to protect yourself when making such purchases. And the whole of Asia is full of crooks like that. And not to mention Nigeria. We have seen how they have fooled some Antiguans with the famous Nigerian Oil and Gold scam.
Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! “The value of etymology, that is, the origin of terms and words is in the proper identification and location of concepts. The Afrocentrist seeks to demonstrate clarity by exposing DISLOCATIONS, DISORIENTATIONS, and DECENTERNESS. One of the simplest ways of accessing textual clarity is through etymology. Myths tie all relationships together, whether PERSONAL or conceptual. It is the Afrocentristâs task to determine to what extent the myths of society are represented as being CENTRAL to or MARGINAL to society.” – Dr. Molefi Asante, Afrocentricity, The Theory of Social Change!
In the absence of the completed 2020 Census take the CIA estimates of 98,000 souls as the sum of the people living on Antigua and Barbuda! Given that 95% of the populations has been historically People of African Descent, that is some 93,000 people, WoMen and Children! These People have never ceded their Agency to ABLP or UPP, Red or Blue! âThe power structure draws its validity and strength solely from the existence of the people’s struggle. In practice it is the people who choose a power structure of their own free will and not the power structure that suffers the people.â â Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth!
Since 1951, the year of Adult Suffrage, when the People of African Descent attained the right to vote for the Executive Administration of their choice without let or hindrance, the People have elected two intertwined Governing Philosophies, notwithstanding the noises, dissonance, colourful manifestos and individual peccadilloes of the politicos which are more similar than divergent, to legislate and administer their affairs! That my brother is evidence that the People while maintaining their Agency recognize that Government under the Executive Political Structure and System is Continuous! The people in exercising their Agency expect that GoAB, no matter the artificial colour of Blue or Red, will always act to protect their Interests and will pursue, to all corners of the World – West, Middle East or East, every effort to right the wrongs inflicted upon them by any other Nation and People, be it the old colonial buccaneers or the new neo-colonial privateers! Lest We Remember! Under State Capitalism, The PROC ranks, as of 2018, first in the world in total number of billionaires and second in millionairesâthere were 658 Chinese billionaires and 3.5 million millionaires! In rems of Purchasing Power the PROC is number 1 in the World! Now do you see why the DON secured some 21 licences and trademarks in the PROC for his daughter, one of which, “Believe It Or Not” was for Voting Machines! “Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the lord my soul to keep! Pity My Simplicity!” And The Diasporan in NYC touts Barbudan Separation! Where is mi gud fren de Haitian Hero when we need him!
âNeither stubborn courage nor fine slogans are enough.â â Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth! This mere voice in the wilderness believes that All The People expected that they should have received Value for Money with the WPP Project!
Until, you and others like Mi Gud Fren Tabor the legal luminary who has taken up residency on Redonda with his foolish and misguided support for the Barbuda Council’s Bid for Separation, understand that whatever happens in our Nation, no matter which temporary executive represents the good, bad and ugly of our political, economic, socio-cultural, technological legal and ecological (PESTLE) space, is done on behalf of the Peoples Granted not Abdicated Agency – The 93,000 of whom are People of African Descent, National Growth and Development and Building a Caribbean Civilization will be a mere fleeting fancy! One lesson which Covid has taught All and which Some have learned is that these Small Island Development States (SIDS) are not viable as individual states (1 from 10 equals 0)! You may wish to continue with the Red and The Blue but as Martin Carter said: “All are involved, All are Consumed!”
A Power Plant and Equipment which should have been able to exist for 25 to 50 Useful years if the Boilers and Generating systems were routinely overhauled and refurbished every 3 to 5 years fell apart within a year of operation when the Chinese who built it were maintaining it clearly would not have been tolerated by the PROC Government! If the UPP did nothing accountable, it was the responsibility of the ABLP to address this legally and diplomatically! If they did, more power to them! Maybe you know something many you don’t! Both UPP and ABLP were given and represented the Peoples Agency! Their Shame in doing nothing is our Shame! To fail to recognize that condemns us to a sterility of thought and Values that will not advance National Growth and Development and the building of a Caribbean Civilization!
âFor the people the party is not the authority but the organization whereby they, the people, exert their authority and will. The less confusion there is, the less duality of powers, the more the party can fulfill its role as guide and the more it will become a decisive guarantee for the people.â â Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth!
I never understand the things you post hahaha.
@Sideline. Its always better to have your own. Soon a politician or group of politicians, their sons or ‘kip women’ will buy it for little or nothing then start enriching themselves at our expense again. And, you will say how smart or business saavy they are.
Does closures and openings carry the same political weight?
How come the closure was not use as a photo op?
We would need Harold Lovell and Baldwin Spencer to come for the photo op.
ABLP has nothing to do with it. They tried hard to bring it back alive. To no avail. Perhaps they should to asked to pay back the monies as well.
@ From The Sideline
Who took the photo op for:
The V C Bird Airport
Knuckle Block
Secondary School at Five Islands
The Treasury Building
ADOMS building(coming soon)
CIP program
ALL the social programs
etc etc etc ………
Lets talk truth now
@Mekchiseded
Don’t forget Yida. Destruction of mangroves and they allowed to fish in a certain area while us born and bred Antiguans banned.
Tourists can come here and visit without quarantining themselves.
Same tourists can stay out as late as they like but we the people can’t.
The UPP was invited but they have too much hate so they refused to show up. Since you want to mention those projects, who took the photo op for the MSJMC and remember they never invited the brain child for that Hospital Sir Lester Bird. Very bad minded people. They first called it a white elephant and pumped thousands to refurbish Holberton. They protested against Nevis Pier and Heritage Quay yet embraced the cruise ships. Always the same thing. If ABLP is for it they will be against it whether it make sense or not. Opposing for opposing sake.
The PM suggested Baldwin name on Knockle Block Centre, but no he don’t want anything as long as it comes from Labour Party. Gaston would have even put his name on Five Island Campus. but he is so pity this man called Baldwin.
@Sideline. They still havent told us whether the engines were old or new. Guess that kind of information was only useful for election.
Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! “Afrocentricity … is a way of answering all cultural, economic, political, and social questions related to African people from a centered position. … Indeed, Afrocentricity cannot be reconciled to any hegemonic or idealistic philosophy. It is opposed to radical individualism as expressed in the postmodern school. But it is also opposed to SPOOKISM, CONFUSION and SUPERSTITION.” – Dr Molefi Asante, Afrocentricity, The Theory of Social Change!
In this the International Decade for People of African Descent 2015 -2024, 186 years from Emancipation, 69 years from Adult Suffrage, 53 years from Statehood in Association, 39 years from Independence, What does the 1st November mean to you and your family with “Covid and Rona” running rampant and decimating the Political Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Legal and Environmental (PESTLE) Space! Consider the following question, âWhy have People of African Descent resident on Antigua and Barbuda been shut out of their own development?â
This mere Voice in the wilderness stated before the WPP was completed and on many occasions since that the the WPP was not built to satisfy the Contracted Specifications! Put it however you wish this mere voice has always been clear that it was a “Rip-Off!” “Slaughter of The Lambs!” “No Value For Money!” Of that it was abundantly Clear!
Some have argued that GoAB, The Ambassador, Bureaucrats, Professionals and Technicians, given the conditions of the âblood in hotel lobbyâ press conference, that the People of African descent had not fully
developed their own capacities in relationship to the global PESTLE and therefore they were outside of the normal development patterns of the world economy which was being dominated by Chinese advancement!
As the ancestors would say “There is more in The MORTAR than The PESTLE!” GoAB, “We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.” – Lord Palmerston: speech, House of Commons, 1 March 1848! Oh Gad! Have Mercy Pon Us!
Others, guided by an Afrocentric East Star, would would look to the questions of location, control of the hegemonic global economy, marginalization, and power positions as keys to understand the Underdevelopment of People Of African Descent resident on Antigua and Barbuda by this failed Chinese Project!
Clearly, GoAB did not protect the Interests of the People of African Descent! GoAB did not express its outrage to the Peoples Republic of China! GoAB did not use the Legal Disputes Resolution Mechanisms provided in the Contract to take The Contractor To Court and Realize its Value for Money!
The People of African Descent Resident on the Rock, some sat back and enjoyed the gross injustice, theft and failure while some on “bended knees” prayed to some unknown most merciful saviour to “make everything right” while the Arab Traders continued their Strategy and Tactical Initiatives of “Antigua Power Control”! Why do we continue to act in the Interest of others and not in our own self Interests! Will we awake with the development of Gated Runaway Beach and McKinnon’s Pond and the Sixth Yacht Marina at Side Hill!
“What natural responses would occur in the relationships, attitudes toward the environment, kinship patterns, preferences for colors, type of religion, and historical referent points for African people if there had not been any intervention of colonialism or enslavement (or Imperialism and Supremacist thinking by others)? Afrocentricity answers this question by asserting the central role of the African subject within the context of African history, thereby removing Europe from the center of the African reality. In this way,
Afrocentricity becomes a revolutionary idea because it studies ideas, concepts, events, personalities, and political and economic processes from a standpoint of black people as subjects and not as objects, basing all knowledge on the authentic interrogation of location.” – Asante!
Chinese “Tissue Paper” Engines,sold to APUA of Antigua and Barbuda.Why use WPP,when we have APC.APC is here to stay.Who are the owners and shareholders of said company that owns APC.Are any members of Cabinet involved in anyway with the inner bowels of APC.I thought those engines and the plant were turned over to West Indies Oil Company.For a very large sum of money.Gaston Browne,please clarify.
“Why use WPP,when we have APC”???
That would be a question for the PM who drank Cooks Pond water. It was his DECISION…or…as he liked to brag “AH FU ME D-SEE-JAN”
BLACK MAN ..Leave Hon . Gaston Browne OUT OF THIS ISSUE . All the blame is on your failing UPP. Be a man and take your blows you “WIMP”. You and Knight must be Brothers . UPP BIG FAILURE. UPP Ministers should be JAILED for this POWER PLANT !!!!
@Eric. It failed under ABLP, just like everything else. A failure worth over 100 million according to ABLP? And then just so it worth nothing! I am waiting to see what kind of enrichment scheme springs from this.
I hope the 23 staff get treated better than all the lovely staff at the starfish jolly beach have…
Everyday de lard send Antigua people canât get current, but ALP closing down a government power plant? APUA need engineers who know what theyâre doing. This is another scam to thief Antigua people money thru APC.
You can’t be serious with that accusation. But then again. Nothing surprises me when it comes to you guys. Always having amnesia when it comes to your dreadful past.
Deal with the facts. Why should Antigua people make APC rich instead of operating our own? And thereâs nothing âdreadfulâ about our past.
Since you are not well informed APC is already part OURS. And soon it will be completely ours. The agreement was only extended in order to allow the Hadeeds to earn back the monies they won because of the court case when Baldwin send police and military to stop them offloading their own engine onto their plant. It was either that or the Treasury paying them over two hundred million dollars in compensation. All that because of the UPP’s incompetents. They have cost Antigua millions of dollars in lawsuits
@Sideline. You really believe Antiguans will own APC? Well I have some Antiguan Cassy bush to sell you. When that time comes close you will hear that govt owe so much money that its best to let APC continue to operate it; with a few more politicians becoming a part of APC.
If you really believe what you are saying then dream on!
Byam it never worked under UPP, so why would it work under ALP? Yes Gaston can at times do some miracles with God blessings. However, he cannot bring back the dead. All of this mess happened because Baldwin said Aziz disrespected him. Over 50 million USD wasted…
Thatâs the problem with Bird people; arâu too shortsighted. APC and their minions are laughing all the way to the bank with Antigua people money. At the end of this government, APC will be rich and Antigua will still have unreliable current.
They should let him pay it back. And talking about paying back. Did he ever paid the Treasury for the court case he lost against Dato Tan. The damages were in the region of One Million Dollar broad dollar notes. Politicians are always getting away with murder. And then they want us to pay our little taxes and traffic fines.
Gaston should be mad to answer this question. That is one more reason why he should never be knighted
Asian Village has nothing to do with UPP; thatâs another ALP scandal. Again, why should APC get rich off the backs of Antigua people? We are paying tens of millions to APC ad infinitum, enough is enough. And leave âSirâ Baldwin alone.
Here you go again cannot accept the truth and the fact. Baldwin took Dato Tan to court and with that the Government of Antigua as well. He went all the way to the Privy Council and lost his case and the Government was awarded damages in about one million dollars which he never paid. And of course no one bothered to go after him for those monies
Weak attempt at “reverse psychology” taken from pg 5 of the Gisele Isaac handbook. You don’t even get an “E” for effort even though you copied LOL LOL LOL. Wheel and come again “Mr. Byam”
Wow, what on earth are you talking about?
@sideline. He did not take Dato Tan to court on his own behalf. There is nothing wrong with trying to recover our lands given away under ABLP. As a matter of fact look for more as we try to recover ‘flipped’ lands.
You should look at the millions of dollars ABLP will pay to Giselle and orhers for obvious spite and bad mind. That is wasted money, as well as cases uncontested so as to help friends. You tink you people easy?
So why was his name alone on the judgement. And since he lost it and have to pay a million dollar to the state why didn’t those other people come forward to help him pay it.
Perhaps you forget the lands at Dry Hill that were given away to Mr. Lake and his family and when the Government wanted to buy it back they say they want thirty million. And you forget the land that UPP gave to a wannabe investor at Friars and he wanted twenty million for something he didn’t pay for. You guys have given away so much is not funny. That is why Gaston had to take back some of the land from Bau Pannel, cause he told them they do not need that much land just to build a factory. Every deal was a steel when UPP was in office. It was a lets get rich quick scheme. Cause they know they wouldn’t be long in office.
Ministers For UPP should be JAILED
@ERIC CARDEN
I totally agree with you and the ABLP ones also….Real talk
We have tried them both and there are no differences when it comes to corruption. Jail all of them UPP and ABLP.
And sad thing these UPPITES think Antiguans suffers from amnesia. Another poor decision by the worst government in the history of Wadadli. They’re a bunch of failure’s. Never again to come close in the governance of A/B.
@ MELCHISEDEC
MELCHISEDEC.
Please DO NOT be CONFUSED. UPP MINISTERS should be jailed. This DOES NOT have anything to do with ABLP. Please DO NOT confuse the issue.
Where is my FRIEND Tabor on this issue. I hope He is not hiding. Looking forward to hearing you TABOR on the POWER PLANT that your UPP Government bought !!!!!!
You’ll wait until the cock get teeth. he knows when to stick his head in.
We shall have a BIG BIG BILLBOARD for this election 2023 showing the POWER PLANT and all the UPP CANDIDATES . Harold Lovell , Serpent in Front with the words …CORRUPTION ///// FAILURE !!!!!
We could also have BLACK MAN ,ZACKIE , KNIGHT ,CLEON ATHILL on the side.
So, APUA will close the WPP and that’s the end of the story? đł Nobody will be held accountable for this gross abuse of the public purse? đł The comatose tax payers of A&B will be paying back for this giant paperweight for decades while it idly sits and gathers rust.
While the UPP may have overseen this disaster, the ALP has a legal and moral obligation to investigate this mess. In 2014, Molwyn Joseph supposedly had all the facts and couldn’t wait to get into power to bring justice to the tax payers of A&B. They won the election in 2014, and subsequently a second election in 2018, yet whoever is responsible for this crime against the state is running free with a pocket full of money.
Situations such as these encourage ppl to divorce themselves from this corrupt political system. After all, who is better – the upholder or the thief? Politicians will always look out for each other. SMDH
HON. GASTON BROWNE I would appeal to you to start an INQUIRY. We should be able to start arresting Persons. This is just like the School Bus Scandal. We All know what happened !!! Start the INQUIRY NOW NOW !!!
Forget it. He won’t do it.
If the Chinese sold the government a pile of junk why does the Labour Party keep paying for it and not bring the Chinese to account? Instead the government and the Chinese are the best of friends. Without an investigation, we will continue to be fed a bunch of lies. Spencer did not buy the power plant for himself but for the country to end the monopoly. Certain people, including Robin Yearwood and the labour government did not want the power plant because it was not in their financial interest. Yearwood does not even want Antiguans to get solar power.
How can the government allow such a huge investment of the peopleâs money go to waste? If the country was really sold a pile of junk, how can we trust the Chinese with the other projects they are involved with in Antigua?
You either playing dumb or you just don’t know anything.
First the Chinese government didn’t sell us any plant. We bought that from a Chinese company and it is clear we got swindled. I never accused Baldwin of deliberately buying a bad plant. I accuse him of not having the competence to have put things in place to ensure we got value for money. There are many scams going around the world. And certainly Asia has some of the biggest. Perhaps you have heard of the Nigerian scams. Many TV documentary has been made about them. I was involve in buying bi ticket Items and one thing you learn is that monies never pass directly. They go to an Escrow account. And you use international consultants that would verify things for you. Take for example the oil industry, when you purchase oil the tanker comes here and monies are placed on an escrow. Then an independent surveyor is hired to come here to inspect the oil quality and the volume that is delivered. Only when the independent surveyor has completed his report and sent it to both the seller and the buyer, money is transferred to the sellers account. If you re stupid and don’t follow these procedure you may get water instead of oil or something else. Antigua should have hire consultant that would take over the quality control and sign-off on it. Inspections would have been done from the very beginning to the very end. Cause reputations are at stake. When the Nigerian scams were rampant they lured people to come to Nigeria to inspect the Oil fields and Gold Mines and you were taken to the Nigerian National Bank and you won’t believe it but all the way to the top people were involved in the scam. The day you transferred the money to them is when you’d find out you had been played. I’m sure the APUA technicians went to the plant and saw their engine being fabricated but that is not what was shipped to them. Did they sealed the Container with a special seal that only they could remove? In other words they got fooled big time. And instead of admitting that they started to cover up. I guess shame had it. They couldn’t believe it happened to them. China has been dealing with corruption in their country for many years now. But they like to leave that internally. And they certainly would not like for Antigua to make that an issue. Not with the many grants that we are getting. Free Stadium, Free Schools, Free Clinics, Free Sports facilities, Free Cultural Centre, Free homes in Barbuda and Point. And yes more to come. That compensates more than the Plant, but we must do this in a diplomatic way. Buying a use car from Japan is risky but up to today many have been very satisfied. Its about Trust and reputation of the seller. And the APUA technician should have known what the lead time is to manufacture an engine so that should have been a red flag. Anyway this government tried to see if they could refurbish it. But that was monies wasted as well.
What I believe should happen is an inquiry as to how this was possible so that policies could be made for any such large big purchase in the future to follow these guidelines. Cause if we don’t learn from this how will we know what not to do in the future. Everyone that was involved in the entire purchase should be interviewed behind close doors and a report should be presented to the Parliament to pass laws and regulations
Firstly, China does not give anything for free. They will be paid someway or another even with deals on Antiguan lands. What is the point that when Antigua gets all these gifts they donât maintain them? Look at the cultural centre.
If the government was sold a pile of junk they should not continue to pay for it and let the company take the government to court. Then the truth will come out. If the government was defrauded why should they continue to pay? This is the peopleâs money and not members of the Labour Party. Truth be told maybe nothing was wrong the power plant except the engines were allowed to rust because certain people, some in government, did not want any competition so they can continue to line their pockets.
There is so much dishonesty and theft of the countryâs resources and no one is held accountable because the people in government are part of the scams. Most of Antiguans are not wise to politics, and the few that are, are too busy kissing the politicians behinds hoping to get a piece of the action.
CARSON. I agree with you. Just after the IHI scandal of course.
Legacy of the know-it-all UPP
Politics aside…
Why is MAINTENANCE generally such a challenge for Antiguan utilities, businesses & government?
Antigua appears to have a ‘use it til it bruk, then beg some big country for a new ting’.
Times have changed, big countries no longer have money, they are in deep recession, they are focused on their own citizens.
We have to change our collective mindset and ensure correct maintenance happens on the schedule required by specific equipment manufacturers and all is documented.
Sorry don’t try to change the subject. This plant has nothing to do with maintenance. It did not work from day one.
@Sideline. And you know this how?? By having a wicked and spiteful ABLP govt telling you.
It is public information. Sorry you missed it. But everyone knows the plant worked for maybe three months max and then it started to breakdown. Oil everywhere. Remember the pictures on Caribarena. It was disgusting
@Stay Alert – this is a great day for, #Reading!
…#Scheduled Maintenance, as in keeping a simple daily report; now, how difficult can this be?
#sacarsam!
Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! “The Afrocentric method considers that no phenomena can be apprehended adequately without locating it first. A phenom must be studied and analyzed in relationship to psychological time and space. It must always be located. This is the only way to investigate the complex interrelationships of science and art, design and execution, creation and maintenance, generation and tradition, and other areas bypassed by theory.” – Dr. Molefi Asante, Afrocentricity, The Theory Of Social Change!
The problems at the WPP Design Build Project was never about Maintenance!
Your question, “Why is MAINTENANCE generally such a challenge for Antiguan utilities, businesses & government?” is valid! Simply stated, we do not have a a technology and business Facilities Management Culture where Strategy, Structure, Systems and Skills are aligned. In as much as this mere voice has repeated it with shame, since the departure of the colonial administration, the shared values which should have guided our development have sadly been neglected by all the politicos, bureaucrats and “edge up arrivistes” ceding the arena to the North Atlantic Privateers! This simple framework, developed by McKinsey, which takes a holistic approach should answer the rest of your dismay and lead to an educational, economic, socio-cultural and technological transformation for Facilities Management including all facets of Maintenance!
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_91.htm
Even before the project had reached the stage of Substantial Completion, the Alarm button had been activated on the Boilers and “Gensets”! The responses from The Antiguans and Barbudans – Ambassador, The Bureaucrats, Professional Engineers, Technicians and “edge-up arrivistes”- were not compelling and did not quell the concerns of those who were critically examining the Project! The âblood in hotel lobbyâ press conference was pure metaphorical and literal BS! It poured more Bunker C Oil on the burning flames from the Boilers and “the hotel lobby” without answering the question of whether the Plant had been built to specifications and whether the People of Antigua and Barbuda were receiving “Value For Money” as the “Worl Boss” would argue later! In less than a year from substantial completion, the WPP which was being maintained by the very Chinese Company that built it fell apart with inoperable Boilers and Gensets! Even with Poor Maintenance Routines, such a Brand New Plant should have lasted close to 25 years! With Good Maintenance Routines 50 years!
The People of Antigua and Barbuda were taken for a ride along the “Old Silk Road” by the SOE of the PROC! GoAB did nothing to right the wrong! On this I stand to be corrected if evidence is provided to the contrary!
â…in certain (Nations) the party is organized like a gang whose toughest member takes over the leadership. The leaderâs ancestry and powers are readily mentioned, and in a knowing and slightly admiring tone it is quickly pointed out that he inspires awe in his close collaborators. In order to avoid these many pitfalls a persistent battle has to be waged to prevent the party from becoming a compliant instrument in the hands of a leader. … The nation should not be an affair run by a big boss. … The influential circles, who in their blind irresponsibility are more concerned with safeguarding their lifestyle, their cocktail parties, their paid travel and their profitable racketeering, have abdicated in favor of a leader and occasionally discover the spiritual void at the heart of the nation.â â Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth!
I hope the 23 staff get treated better than all the lovely staff at the starfish jolly beach have…
Just like how they cut up choice pieces of the ppl’s land and sell to each other for $15,000 per acre, just so they overlook the corrupt acts of each other. It’s a professional courtesy that politicians grant to each other. ALP won’t investigate bcuz they expect the UPP to return the favour if/when UPP regains power. Notice that no matter how they cuss each other on radio and on the platform, they will never raise a finger against each other.
Nun ah dem ppl can get me fu dutty fu me finga agen!!
Sad isn’t it.
We the people are the dummies
@DadliMan – they all belong to the same Clubs, Lodges, Fraternities! What else do we expect?
Joanne Massiah referenced, and echoed similar thoughts in the Parliament!
Am sure after FTS and others post their nonsense they go straight to the shower if the water is on. Whatever the feeling about the WPP it was an asset of the people of Antigua. It was bought to give APUA some form of independence from APC. In other sensible countries such a move would be applauded as a sign of development. But no no not in Antigua where herd stupidity prevails. It didnt benefit Mr Spenser as far as i know he had no shares in the power plant.
A minister with that statutory corporation under his fingers for most of his political life oversaw onesided contracts with APC where we ended up owing WIOC millions for fuel. That minIster was knighted not for his work as an MP but for his business acumen.
WPP was bound to fail. We have a willing participant in its demise in office. Its also unwise to underestimate the monied interest involved in this saga.
“It didnt benefit Mr Spenser as far as i know he had no shares in the power plant.”
Its a good thing you put this as a disclaimer.
And nothing wrong indeed if they had bought a good plant. Everyone would applaud that. But the sad thing is even when we discovered the plant was of no good. I remember the pictures posted on Caribarena, they still try to cover it up saying the plant was new. Baldwin even brought the Chinese ambassador on tv held a press conference to tell us so. And when he was ask about all of the oil leak, he said what you want to see blood or wine. It’s a plant. Such a dumb statement for a PM. Like if you bought a new care and its leaking oil nothing wrong with that. Its an engine.
Anyway there is something called kickbacks, who knows who got kickbacks for this purchase. Cause I don’t know why he couldn’t stand up for the country and demand they come and take back their plant.
@juju. Hear! Hear! Hear! You explain it so well. It is not beyond this govt to do all within their power to kill it to prove a point. And to cause people like Sideline to salivate. We know that wasting our money is what ABLP does as well as doing nothing unless there is personal enrichment in there. There is nothing to be gained in WPP. No wonder its not wanted.
So when it comes to the WPP, Mr. Mathias was crystal clear about its non-performance and I have no issues with that. However, when he was asked about the renewable energy plants installed by PV Energy, there was much waffling about installed capacity and percentages of energy and the like.
We just need a simple answer, are these plants working or not? And how are they performing? Are we getting value for money? Remember these plants were just as expensive or even more expensive than WPP. Also we don’t want you to lump the roof-top solar installations by private individuals in your calculations, nor do we need information on potential capacity. We just need straight answers, over the 4 or so years that the plants were installed, have they been producing energy to the grid consistently and how much?
@DadliMan – they all belong to the same Clubs, Lodges, Fraternities! What else do we expect?
Joanne Massiah referenced, and echoed similar thoughts in the Parliament!
Can’t even say the end of a saga because the people of A & B will be left to pay this loan until eternity. Intentional neglect for the purpose of enrichment has brought A & B to be at the mercy of one family. All the ministers who had APUA under their portfolio are now multi millionaire. Management at APUA are been enriched also. The former PM had good intentions for the people’s well-being however, between the management, shareholders and ministers (both past and current} lies the major CORRUPTION. The people of this beautiful bit of Paradise will always be at the mercy of this wicked set ah family with the assistance of the politicians and cronies that blogger come on this and many other media outlets and defend/justify their actions. Bunch ah wicked set ah criminals!
Had it not been for this family we may have been in the dark today. Sometime we are blinded by envy and jealousy. The Hadeeds are business people and Antiguan Citizens. And we need Antiguans to invest more in there own country in order to assist government. That is how we were able to build all these government buildings along Queen Elizabeth Highway. And that is why we got a new High Court. And many other real estates We always seem to complain about our Lebanese, Syrian and other country men/women, but one thing I must give to them, they invest their money and take the risk. We Antiguans from African decent fail our country time and time again and than we watch others taking over and we get jealous and envious. Antigua was in need of more electricity, they were willing and able to invest millions of dollars to get that done and you want them not to make any money. Good they can take their monies and invest in other countries. WPP is closing down but we have not shortage of electricity today.
@Sideline. Ok, you have angered me! This country produced its own electricity long before APC. We believe in having our own and we are paying for it. The question you should be asking is how APC came into the picture, by whom and for what purpose. If you honestly pursue those answers, you will understand how and why we are where we are.
Glad it angered you. Because the fact was and is we were never able to provide the electricity that we needed. And APUA was in dire need of new engines. Government didn’t had the finances to do so. And this arrangement is nothing new. All over the world the private sector is ask to step in and provide the investment when government cannot afford to do so. Even in the United States. The Hadeed didn’t had to do this. They could have kept their money and invest it on other money making adventures. just like when they were ask to build the government complex. And the thing is, these are all BOOT agreements, meaning the ownership is transferred at a later date to the government according to a formula that ensure a fair return on the investment. The same way we have now invited Global Ports to pump in over One hundred million united states dollars to build us a new fifth pier so that we can welcome new and bigger cruise ships. They build they operate and then they transfer it over to us. I would have love to let someone build me a house on my land and he may live in it for fifty years and it becomes mine. What and asset will I have after those years. PC will soon be ours. And as I said were it not for the extension it would be ours already.
You guys are not smart enough to see the wisdom of these deals. You want people to give you money for free. Nothing tall go so.
You sure the Hadeeds are the only ones who own the business?
Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! “Afrocentricity is a paradigm based on the idea that African people should reassert a sense of agency in order to achieve sanity.” – Dr. Molefi Asante!
Clearly some unfriendly god has bereft you of your senses when you, a person of African Descent, in this the International decade for People of African Descent 2015 – 2024, 186 years from Emancipation, 69 years from Adult Suffrage, 53 years from Statehood in Association, 39 years from Independence, would launch a broadside in support of Middle Eastern people living amongst us, against your kith and kin struggling to overcome “a constructural adjustment to black disorientation, decenteredness, and lack of agency.” claiming that “We Antiguans from African decent fail our country time and time again and than we watch others taking over and we get jealous and envious.” FTS ANR 091720!
What does the 1st November mean to you and your family within the Political Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Legal and Environmental (PESTLE) Space! Consider the following question, âWhy have People of African Descent resident on Antigua and Barbuda been shut out of their own development?â Why did GoAB, Browne nominate and UWI, Beckles approve the Dean of The Diplomatic Corp as the First Chair of The Board for UWI Five Islands! Such a significant Historical Referent Point should not have been lost on the People of African Descent! This mere voice in the wilderness noted this as an abject failure for the People of African descent resident on the Rock who uttered not a peep! Brown and Beckles on Reparatory Justice! Oh Gad!
Let us visit your three examples of Time and Space! But before we do this mere voice in the wilderness would suggest that you take a casual stroll on Redcliffe Street and stop for a moment and reflect as you cast your eyes on the SIC Building! Who designed and built it! Who Sculptured the Artwork that greet the People of African Descent as they carryout their business there! How long has this facility weathered the tropical unforgiving facilities maintenance climate!
A little diversion is necessary as you agree to share a secret with those of your Country WoMen, and Rastas who don’t have your business acumen, but which is known to every Politico, Bureaucrat, ‘hangers-on” and “edge-up arrivistes”: Governments and SOE’s engage in BOOT arrangements when they wish to keep their Liabilities “off Book” so that it does not affect their bond rating! Not as a Financial and Asset Bonanza! By the time the facility is turned over, they would have paid four time the cost of the facility!
The QE II Government Complex Campus! Why did you choose the High Court Building which has been plagued by operational deficiencies for years ever since it was built! Mi gud fren Tabor should be able to provide the records to the house in which he lived and worked! Who designed and built that complex which has no African or Caribbean architectural feature or aesthetic! Why is the Campus rapidly deteriorating! Have you discussed the issues of Mold and IAQ with the occupants and the attendant illnesses!
The Owners did not build that complex as members of the Sister of Charity! They Got and are getting a handsome return on their Equity! Would the GoAB of the Day have approached People of African descent to join them on that Journey! Hell No! They were and are Takers with no Cooperative Values! Clearly they wanted then and still don’t want any local bed bugs in their bed-grass!
Crabbes are not to be wished on anyone! APC was not only generating the power of these Strangers amongst the People of African descent, it became their BOOT Flagship! The Government of the Day not only embraced these Traders, they invited them into their Executive Boardroom! They were top dogs in the kennel from the Dean of the Diplomatic Corp to the Croc Of a Doc at the Office of State! It was a heady period! They were making money hand over fist! They were designing and creating tax policies to give them a leg up on imports, IT, hospitality and tourism and real estate! Why did it all go South! Don’t blame “Choko” who saw the game! It was the Man at Finance who was alerted by the Man of Finance from the Great White North that the People of African descent were slowly losing their Patrimony with this was going down the road to Tipperary with this Golden BOOT Scheme! Enter The Dragon! BS waffled then baffled! It all ended in the IMF’s NEST of Fiscal Adjustment and Structural Reform! They loved the Country so much that they refused to take a haircut and as with Shakespeare demanded their pound of flesh closest to the heart! GoAB has and will never recover its Money for Value from that BOOT Project while these Strangers will make Ten Times their Investment! Aren’t you a shrewd Businessman! Do You understand how Generating Power Plants are Financed and Operated!
GPS, another group of Strangers from the North Atlantic and the Middle East in our Midst! They not only got hip, they came with a “Brand New Bag!” Their team included the man from SLASPA who made it Helen’s Policy not to contribute a penny to LIAT’s operation and capital financing because he said “GoAB was reaping a windfall from LIAT!” To Finalize this BOOT arrangement GoAB accepted a CEO from Helen planted by that man! The People of African Descent resident on the Rock were found wanting! Another Shameful Failure for the People!
This mere voice has warned that not enough attention to marine engineering, geotechnical and environmental research is being carried out on the PORT PROJECTS! Clearly, notwithstanding the noises and dissonance, no one gives a Rat’s A$$ to Climate Change! This mere voice has sounded the alarm by citing the Venice Mose Project – its Engineering and Environmental expectations, its costs, corruptions and delays!
Just like the green lobster in a slow boiling pot, as you turn to pink what will you say to your children as the Traders continue their Strategy and Tactical Initiatives of âAntigua Power Controlâ! Why did you continue to act in the Interest of others and not in your own self Interests! Will you blame the People of African Descent for being blinded with envy and jealousy, (drunk with anger as was said when the Real Minister of Finance stood up, took a stance and called the Strangers out) with the development of Gated Runaway Beach and McKinnonâs Pond and the Sixth Yacht Marina at Side Hill!
“This ‘sensitivity’ is easily understood if we simply study and are alive to the number and depth of the injuries inflicted during a single day spent amidst the Strangers It must in any case be remembered that a colonised people is not only simply a dominated people. Under the German occupation the French remained men; under the French occupation, the Germans remained men. In Antigua and Barbuda there is not simply the domination but the decision to the letter not to occupy anything more than the sum total of the land.â â Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth!
If my black Antiguans who have the power of the purse would realize that power and support their own, not one outsider coming here would be able to create wealth out of us. and frankly speaking November 1st don’t have much meaning to me in that concept. Just another day in paradise. We are like crab in a barrel. The minute one of us has wealth the other is so envious they start wishing he was down. and I have seen it with many of our black families. And they that are still wealthy refuse to invest in their own country. Why can’t we control our own economy. We are lucky we have the politics in our hands, but you know many buys some of them. Thank God for Gaston. I would cry the day he betrays me.
I mean “Money buys some of them”
@ Sideline
If is one thing I know is when Antiguans turn against you they turn. I donât know what you are talking about black Antiguans being envious of black Antiguans. Let me know of one example.
Why donât you start a petition or arrange a demonstration against all the non black business people who are exploiting Antiguans?
Maybe you havenât noticed that a lot of the people in Antigua are not indigenous Antiguans and couldnât care less about what is going in Antigua as long as they can make money to send home. If the labour government was so honest and cared about Antiguans, why are they bending over backwards to fill up Antigua with a bunch of thieves from other Caribbean countries?
I am not surprised that Gaston has not betrayed you. This could only be because you are very deep in the dodo that is going on in âAntigua.
Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! âSometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with the core belief.â â Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks!
Clearly you are not intent on responding to the arguments raised against the points you made in earlier comments but will continue to rail against “Envy!”
It is disappointing to know that “frankly speaking November 1st donât have much meaning to me in that concept. Just another day in paradise.” FTS ANR 09182020! Such thinking leads to and supports our constructural adjustment to black disorientation, dislocation, decenteredness, and lack of agency. How many of our schoolchildren have been exposed to and exhorted to follow the extract below!
“My People, we are free this night. But Freedom cannot exist without responsibility. The full burden of our freedom now rests squarely upon our shoulders. What we do with that freedom is our responsibility, we can blame none other. //Part of the responsibility of freedom is its protection. As a small developing country with little resources other than beaches, land and people, we have to safeguard our freedom by ensuring that we never become dependent again. //The ultimate safeguard of Independence is productivity. This nation, born again tonight, must commit itself to work and to work hard. For if we fail to do so, the consequence of our failure will be dependence on a new master who will, once again, dictate our policies and direct our affairs. //We must not have struggled so long and with such fortitude to exchange one master for another.” – VCBird, Independence Speech 1st November 1981!
And you what they could have lend the government the money at a high interest rate and just sit back and collect money.
@Sideline. Perhaps you were not around yet if you do not know that it was spite on Dr Lake by the then leader of A(B)LP that caused the UPP govt to settle in lieu of millions won by DR Lake for unfair dismissal. I find it so hard to see how you can think that UPP could be anywhere near ABLP in terms of land acquisition, skuldugery and personal enrichment. The cases you mention are purposely twisted to try to make your point but are anything but factual. How about paying some attention to: the ebook scandal, the IHI, acquiring and flipping of lands etc. These are factual yet you seem not to care.
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