CUC appeals for assistance

At Issue: The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation has appealed to the administration for help.

Our View: CUC is a semi-autonomous agency and must address and resolve its own problems.

The chairman of the board of CUC has appealed to the administration for help in solving “chronic” problems of the government-run utility agency.

The recurring concerns include “chronic water problems, chronic power outages, chronic collection problems and repetitive customer service complaints”.

The thematic use of the term “chronic” is indeed very alarming. That it appeals for cooperation from both the administration and the legislature may help somewhat. But the responsibility to resolving its shopping list of “chronic” problems is well within its fiduciary duties as a semi-autonomous agency.

With respect to water and power, there’s the undeniable fact that as residential and commercial users expand, water remains finite and in short supply given the small water lenses of these isles. The answer is to resort to a desalination system, a no options issue given constant expansion of residential areas.

On power outages: Is the problem insufficient power source, distribution system, lack of foresight, the see-saw politics of the 80-megawatt fiasco, or just what is it? Obviously, the problems enumerated by the chairman of the board begins with the people equation.

Perhaps it needs to retain the services of an expert on customer relations in order to train and change attitudes of entrenched employees. Training should focus on handling paying customers in business-like fashion.

Resolution of these chronic problems are all in the hands of the board and executive director of CUC. Si Yuus Maase`!