The resignation by two more Supervisory Board members at utilities provider GEBE (see Tuesday paper) creates the impression of proverbial rats leaving a sinking ship. Following the recent exit of two others that leaves only two.
According to Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, this will not be detrimental for the government-owned company’s recovery from a ransomware attack on March 17. However, considering all that’s happened since, she won’t blame readers for being sceptical, having expressed her own worries more than once.
To be sure, the company’s leadership has been a source of controversy with suspected political motives for years, so one can understand why some would no longer want to be directly involved at a certain point especially under the current circumstances. Nevertheless, this is an essential monopolistic service the country simply cannot do without in every sense including feeding and caring for its people.
The prime minister said vacancies on the board will be filled as soon as possible and had asked for a crisis management team. In the meantime, Statutory Director Merrill Temmer resumed his duties after a period of illness, ending the apparently contested appointment of Sharine Daniel as Temporary Manager four days earlier.
Temmer assured having been briefed by Daniel and said with actions taken in his absence “it is clear that we shall overcome this.”
That sounds good, but the computer system was down again Tuesday morning, while customers continue to complain about lack of bills or obviously excessive ones they cannot get rectified, often with a risk of disconnection in the back of their minds.
New board members chosen ought to be persons not only with relevant expertise, but who have held positions of authority and are used to making perhaps unpopular decisions if required to get out of a mess. They must be able to both closely monitor and guide management through the process.
Those concerned need to remember that, ultimately, GEBE’s wellbeing is crucial to the entire population. It belongs to all of us and right now has become everybody’s problem.
