“Where does their fuel come from? Venezuela. For the last 50 years, the fuel has been coming from Venezuela by way of Curacao,” said Minister Miller, who was a guest on the Love 97 programme, “Issues of The Day”, with Jeff Lloyd.
“What [critics are] saying is Listen, you shouldn’t go and work out a deal that’s in the best interest of the Bahamian people. You shouldn’t take away the profits from the oil companies;Let us bring it in. We’re going to bring it in from the same place that you are going to bring it in from, but we’re going to make the profit and we’re going to give nothing to the Bahamian people.”
Minister Miller added, “This is pure and simple economics and greed to a certain extent. ﾑWe make the profits and let the Bahamian people catch the hell.ﾴ Thatﾴs the way I see it.”
He said if the government signs on to PetroCaribe and put in place recommendations from its fuel usage committee, which are intended to cut margins, motorists would see a savings of no less than 65 cents per gallon of gasoline.
Gasoline at stations in New Providence is $4 on average.
The Minister reiterated that electricity bills would also be significantly reduced. He said Bahamians could expect at least a 10 percent to 15 percent reduction in the cost of living.
“The cost of fuel affects all of our lives indirectly and directly,” Minister Miller said. “Last December, you could have brought in a 40-foot container into this country with goods for around $1,850 to $2,200. Today, that same container would cost you $3,000. You could have brought a 20-foot container in December for around $1,480 to $1,600. Today, itﾴs $2,100 on average.”
He pointed out that the costs have trickled down to the cost of groceries and other essential items.
Minister Miller added, “What disturbs me is the jitney drivers, the tour operators, the taxi drivers, this thing affects our lives and those detractors don’t appreciate how important it is to try to ease the burden on the backs of the Bahamian people. These are generally rich people anyway who criticize [us over this].”
Mr. Lloyd said that in many areas where the government has gone into business, “it is struggling to be efficient.”
“Why would you create another bureaucracy?” Mr. Lloyd asked, referring to the National Energy Corporation that would have to setup if the government approves the PetroCaribe oil deal.
Through the deal, Venezuela would sell fuel and fuel-related products to The Bahamas, allowing it to work out what are being termed favourable payment arrangements.
But Minister Miller said the Corporation would have on its staff no more than five people ﾖ two people from his ministry and two technical people from outside his ministry.
“The government under PetroCaribe is saying, ﾑListen, we are not going to sell to the private entities to enable them to make a profit. We want to see the benefits of PetroCaribe go directly to the people. The only way to pick up the fuel is to set up an energy corporation that is owned by the Bahamian people.”
The government would then sell the fuel to the major oil companies: Esso, Shell and Texaco.
“We’re not cutting anyone out,” the Minister assured. “All we’re doing is procuring the fuel cheaper because of our agreement with various governments, including Venezuela.”
He said the government would not be in the distribution business.
The plan would be to eliminate the middlemen, he reiterated, adding that former prime minister the late Sir Lynden Pindling envisaged such an operation in a speech in 1979.
Source: Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
