The "Victory" That Never Came: Daryl Vaz’s Premature Celebration and the $150M Question

The "Victory" That Never Came: Daryl Vaz’s Premature Celebration and the $150M Question

By: Wayne Forbes /GTV Editor

February 11, 2026

In today’s press briefing, Energy Minister Daryl Vaz stood before the nation with the air of a man who had successfully crossed the finish line. Cloaked in the rhetoric of "Promise Kept" and "Delivered," the Minister attempted to frame the post-Hurricane Melissa power restoration as a triumph of government intervention. But for thousands of Jamaicans in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, and rural pockets across the island who are still stumbling in the dark tonight, the Minister’s victory lap felt less like an achievement and more like an insult.

Promises vs. Reality

The Minister’s central claim today was that the government had met its February 2026 deadline for full restoration. However, reports from the ground tell a different story. While the "main lines" may be energized, "full restoration" is a term that must include the grandmother in a remote district whose fridge is still a silent cupboard and the small shopkeeper whose stock has long since spoiled.

By declaring victory while citizens are still waiting for light, the Minister has redefined "delivery" to suit a political narrative. A promise isn’t "kept" until the last meter spins. To claim otherwise is to gaslight the very people who have spent months paying for a service they haven't received.

The $150 Million Elephant in the Room

The most glaring omission in today’s "victory" speech was a transparent justification for the US$150 million loan handed to the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) late last year.

At the time, the public was told this massive injection of taxpayer money was necessary to "fast-track" restoration. The logic was simple: we give them the money now so Jamaicans get light much earlier. Yet, here we are in mid-February, barely hitting a deadline that was set months ago. If the $150 million was intended to provide light "much earlier," the question remains: Earlier than what?

If JPS, a private entity with international shareholders, required a sovereign loan to do its job, the public deserves more than a "trust us" from the Ministry. Where exactly did that money go?

- Did it go to the 300 additional linemen promised from overseas?

- Why, despite this massive capital injection, did we still see communities waiting four to five months for basic connectivity?

The Minister’s refusal to provide a line-item justification for how this US$150 million actually accelerated the timeline—rather than just padding the balance sheet of a monopoly—is a failure of accountability.

A Victory for Whom?

Minister Vaz’s briefing today was a masterclass in political optics. By using words like "miraculous" and "unprecedented," he seeks to pivot away from the grueling reality of the last six months. But you cannot eat optics, and you cannot power a home with a press release.

Until the government explains why $150 million of public funds was the only way to get a private monopoly to perform its contractual duties, and until every single "dark" community is lit, there is no victory to claim.

Today wasn't about a promise kept to the Jamaican people; it was about a narrative delivered for the 2026 election cycle. For the families still lighting kerosene lamps tonight, the only thing that has been "delivered" is another month of disappointment.