Prime Minister Gaston Browne has rejected suggestions that the Government’s decision to waive old electricity debts contributed to financial difficulties at the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA).

Mr Browne said the arrears, many of which had remained unpaid for six months to more than a year, were largely considered unrecoverable. He argued that keeping such debts on APUA’s books created the appearance of valuable receivables without generating actual income.

He said clearing the arrears allowed disconnected households to regain electricity and resume making payments on their current bills, creating a more sustainable source of revenue for APUA.

The prime minister also defended the policy on social grounds, recalling families who went without electricity and a student who had reportedly charged a mobile phone at school so she could use it as a light to study at home.

Mr Browne said prolonged loss of electricity was a sign of serious financial hardship and argued that restoring service was both a humanitarian measure and a practical financial decision.

He maintained, however, that the debt amnesty should be separated from APUA’s wider financial challenges, including higher fuel costs, unpaid current bills and outstanding obligations to electricity suppliers.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: PM Defends APUA Arrears Amnesty as a Write-Off of Uncollectible Debt.