The collateral damage of a deteriorating energy infrastructure, after decades of poor government management, has exhausted the patience of Puerto Ricans. However, in the face of this understandable frustration, violence is not the answer.
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Last Thursday, in the Sabana neighborhood of Luquillo, according to police reports, an individual demanded that workers from a company subcontracted by LUMA Energy remove a vehicle parked in a lot on their property. The workers were trying to repair a breakdown that has kept the rural community without electricity service since August 13. In circumstances which are being investigated by the authorities, someone used a firearm and fired shots which hit a bus used by the workers to reach the place and try to correct the deficiencies which interrupt the energy service in the area.
All acts of violence are deplorable. What happened in Luquillo is a highly repudiatory act that implies an illegal act that should be investigated promptly so that it does not go unpunished. In this case, it is extremely reprehensible that someone would attempt against the lives of workers who are trying to earn their family’s livelihood by performing risky tasks related to the deteriorated energy infrastructure in rural areas.
Although LUMA Energy is a consortium whose executive staff and other resources have come to the island from different countries to help restore the power grid after the devastation caused by Hurricane María and decades of inadequate maintenance, most of its employees, as well as those of subcontracted companies, are Puerto Ricans. But regardless of where the workers come from, they all deserve respect and above all cordial treatment from the population.
Regardless of the judgment that each individual may assign to LUMA Energy, it is necessary to be in solidarity with the workers of the consortium and subcontracted companies, who work in the streets under the intense sun and also until late at night to restore power service, mainly in the so-called pockets, where power lines have collapsed or have damaged transformers or other equipment after the close passage through the island of the Hurricane Ernesto.
Resorting to violence against a worker in the energy industry or any worker who seeks to earn a decent living is an unworthy behavior, which also does not respond to the noble values that characterize Puerto Rican society. Frustration with basic needs channeled aggressively emanates as another obstacle that can delay restoration, just when the high hurricane season is just beginning.
It is time for reflection to avoid counterproductive responses. While the political class must never abdicate its responsibility to oversee, it must take action to contribute to practical solutions in the short and long term. It is urgent to act to ensure dialogue and the consideration of viable alternatives to mitigate the problems of power generation and transmission, and to avoid incidents such as the one recently reported, which could have had a tragic outcome.
The public hearings summoned by the House of Representatives for LUMA executives to account for the recovery process after the passage of Hurricane Ernesto should be used as a vehicle to contribute to real solutions and avoid circuses aimed at obtaining political advantage, three months before the general elections.
While LUMA must act quickly to restore service to all subscribers, especially in residential areas where seniors predominate, it cannot be forgotten that when the power grid was in government hands, Puerto Rico suffered similar problems that were aggravated by the extreme devastation caused by Hurricane María, but the country responded with patience in a scenario of serious precariousness.
In the midst of that acute adversity, solidarity and support for all the brigades of hard-working people who went into the fields and cities to lift Puerto Rico prevailed. There was never a lack of messages of encouragement, fresh water or a cup of coffee for the workers. It is time to take up those responses to encourage and protect all workers. In this way we will forge a more resilient country.
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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.
