BIG NEWS FOR EVERY STUDENT WITH AN SLB LOAN! The government just dropped the biggest SLB upgrade in years, and it’s happening RIGHT NOW. If you have an SLB loan or know someone who does, read this thread to the end. Your life is about to get easier.

Who's prepping these sessions? Step it up, fiscal drama's no blockbuster.

What we know for sure: Loan disburses soon, 470 linesmen inbound. Recovery's real, hospitals, water pumps prioritized. But next time, Minister, lean in: Share the spreadsheet, not the soundbite. Builds cred. JA deserves answers that empower, not evade.

But if it flips lights on by New Year, who cares about the shade?

Why enter '27 talks w/o asset audits done? Or float co-finance w/ private lenders sooner? Opp asks where $200M from, fair, but JPS suspended dividends, chasing insurers. Gov: "Partners pledged $450M int'l aid, repays loan early." Vague? Yeah.

This ain't theater; it's triage. Both sides score points, but Jamaicans lose if it stalls funds.

Balance: Gov's heart right, power's economy lifeline. Western JA can't wait 6 months. Loan's no giveaway; protected via assets/equity. Opp's push valid, fiscal space tight, debt up $15B domestic interest this year. But Campbell's "political headline" jab? Overreach.

Dodging deets keeps leverage, but erodes trust. Is it strategy or just bad briefing? Feels like the latter, team needs a huddle.

Probing why the wayward vibe: Prep seems rushed. MoF's juggling Third Supp Estimates, $6.7B recovery package (only $3.6B firm so far). Williams quiet on fiscal hits overall (editorials called her out). Political heat?JPS license drama, gov won't budge on '27 expiry w/o reforms.

Assets valued $X bn per latest appraisal, docs tabled next sitting." Boom, transparent, shuts down the fog. Why hold back?

Better response she should've given: "Dr. C, $150M bridges to 90% by Dec, $50M EDF drawdown next, JPS insurance covers bulk rest. No revision; costs refined post-assess. Interest at 4-5% prime + margin, repay '27 or equity swap.

Vaz said MoF/JPS meeting that day, now set at market-linked, ~5yrs term, optional 2yr payback. Assets? Gov's June '25 letter flags acquisition ready, but valuation? Not public. Williams could've said: "Valuations ongoing via indep audit, full report Q1 '26."

Her actual answers? On totals: "Request was $150M for immediate restore, Energy's call." No word on full $350M split. On revisions: Silent, but Vaz later clarified assessments dropped from $480-600M, so no "revision," just updates. Interest?

"MPs need deets, not headlines." Williams doubles down, ties to timelines. Feels evasive. Why not drop the MoU excerpt?

Campbell's fire: "We were told $350M total, gov loans $150M, so where's the other $200M? Revised down? And interest rate? Terms? Asset values if we seize?" Legit asks, taxpayers' cash, right? Williams: "Energy min says $150M for 90% by Dec. Full pic with JPS." Campbell pushes:

Solid move to get 300+ linesmen here fast. But why the gap? $50M from Electricity Disaster Fund pending OUR approval, rest on JPS/insurance.

Quick facts: Hurricane Melissa wrecked JPS lines bad, $350M hit. Gov't loans $150M (J$24B) to speed 90% restore by Dec end, full by Feb '26. No license extension for JPS (expires '27), but safeguards: repay by '27 or we take assets. Energy Min Vaz says it's locked, signed Dec 6.

But Williams' answers? Dodgy, like she was reading from a script that skipped the plot. Let's break it down fair, no spin. Who's really winning here? Jamaicans waiting for power, or just headlines?

Man, that Standing Finance Committee session on Dec 9 was tense. Opposition's Dr. Dayton Campbell grilling Finance Minister Fayval Williams over the $150M US loan to JPS for post-Melissa power fixes. It's a big deal, $350M total damage, lights out in western JA still.

I am sharing a poem from the book this morning.

Most people know me for my views on social and economic issues, but not everyone knows I’m also a poet. Back in 2022, I published my first book Mind of Mine: Magic and Misery, 18 poems on love, relationships, and the struggles women face. https://t.co/kWh3KDEjwR