Vybz Kartel’s 2011 Condemnation Of JPS Resurfaces Amid Public Outcry Over High Bills

A 2011 video of Vybz Kartel predicting the dismantling of the Jamaica Public Service Company’s (JPS) monopoly on light and power has resurfaced, following a wave of public discontent over recent spikes in electricity bills on the island.

The outcry followed widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl in July, leaving many customers frustrated by the increased costs despite being without electricity for weeks in some cases.

In the 13-year-old vlog, “Kartel Speaks His Mind,” the Summer Time artist, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, shared his frustration by accusing the company of hiking his electricity bill by 600% after he transferred the account from the previous owner’s name to his own.

“This installment is chapter three, and it’s called JPS, which as we all know stands fi Jamaica P-hole Service,” Kartel had said.

He recounted how, before changing the name on his electricity account, his bills ranged between $12,000 and $15,000. However, after the name change to Adijah Palmer, the bills skyrocketed.

“Mi fly out one February, I think February this year… when mi come back – remember seh di bill did deh $15,000, $12,000. Since mi put name on inna February, mi fly out. When mi come back, mi se a bill fi $71,000. Mi woman pay the bill,” Kartel had recounted at the time.

According to Kartel, he became outraged upon seeing the bill.

“Mi a seh dem JPS people yah teck wi fi fool! Jus because dem si Adijah Palmer pan it, di bill reach from $15,000 to $71,000,” he continued, explaining that the next bill, dated March 15, amounted to $63,000.

After refusing to pay the $63,000 bill, Kartel later received another bill due April 18, totaling $124,000. In order to avoid potential negative publicity from JPS, he said he decided to pay half of the amount while sending an employee to query the escalating charges. Following the inquiry, his subsequent bill dropped to $32,000.

“But mek mi tell yuh dis Jamaica P-hole Service, it may be long but not forever, because memba seh there is talks now even in Parliament take fi the monopoly offa di energy system. Suh likkle from dis, wi a guh have more dan one company fi gi wi light fi choose from. An when dah day come, mi can guarantee seh di whole a Jamaica a guh done wid JPS!” he had said.

In response to the most recent backlash, JPS issued a statement explaining that the hike in bills was primarily due to increased fuel costs.

“The Fuel Charge that customers see on their bills is heavily influenced by the actual costs associated with purchasing the fuel used to generate electricity for the period,” the company said.

JPS also said that as a precaution against hurricane damage, their Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) supplier, New Fortress Energy, had to take its facility offline, leading to a temporary switch to the more expensive Automotive Diesel Oil (ADO) for electricity generation, thus raising costs.

JPS is co-owned by Marubeni Caribbean and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company which each holds a 40% stake, while the Jamaican Government owns the remaining 20%.

The Japan-headquartered Marubeni was prosecuted by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in 2014 for bribing officials in Indonesia, resulting in an $88 million fine.

The DOJ had said that court filings showed that “Marubeni and its employees, together with others, paid bribes to officials in Indonesia – including a high-ranking member of the Indonesian Parliament and high-ranking members of Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), the state-owned and state-controlled electricity company in Indonesia”. This, it said, was in exchange for assistance in securing a $118 million contract, known as the Tarahan project, for Marubeni and its consortium partner to provide power-related services for the citizens of Indonesia.

In January 2012, Reuters had also reported that Marubeni had paid the United States to settle a Nigeria LNG bribes case and had paid $54.6 million in criminal fines for its role in a scheme to win billions of dollars of contracts by bribing Nigerian government officials.

The charges, brought by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, relate to Marubeni’s actions as agent for TSKJ, a four-company joint venture that was seeking contracts to build a liquefied natural gas plant.