Last Sunday, December 10, the power went out for almost six hours, from three in the afternoon to eight in the evening. It’s not the first time. I live in a neighborhood that has the bad luck of unplanned power outages and the suffering that lack of power brings. This is a problem with a very difficult solution.

We depend on the rains: if they fall a lot, they flood; If it falls a little, dry it. We are subject to uncertainty: Ecuador’s energy policy has been based on hydroelectric power generation, ignoring polluting thermal power plants. The few that exist have not received the maintenance they need and have contributed little. Colombia is taking advantage and selling us at a high price, and consumption must be limited in order not to deplete the water stored in the rainfed reservoirs that feed Paute-Mazar and Coca Codo. The weather is unstable and the people cry out to St. Peter to open the heavenly waters.

Rule to deliver

Added to the incompetence of those who should have been careful, these inevitable accidents are added to the planned blackouts.

We need to migrate towards solar energy which is burning us these days. It is necessary for the authorities to let us know what they will do to make the future less uncertain in energy production.

I wanted to dedicate this column to the topic of shame that we feel when we see the bad work of those monstrosities created by the current Constitution: the Judicial Council and the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control. They are beings strange to our history, created for an all-powerful presidency to rule over judges and oversight bodies. Such important powers have been taken away from the national parliament under the pretext that Congress is highly politicized and open to negotiation. Parliaments are places where negotiations take place. They can resemble food markets. It must be admitted that in recent years, individuals who extort and have a price have come to the National Assembly. There were not a few of them, and yet there are those who save his face, the righteous who prevent the corruption of the entire system.

The first urgent project

There is no money

I adhere to Dr. Simón Espinosa’s thesis that this Constitution should be repealed by referendum and replaced by the one from 1998. Thus, in one fell swoop, these strange organisms will cease to exist. “It’s about cutting as much as untying.”

The government has no money and has to pay salaries to a huge bureaucracy and public forces. You can make savings by cutting back, but you can also get some quick cash by removing or reducing fuel subsidies. They have no excuse in a hungry country. These subsidies are used by people who have cars, smugglers, drug dealers, border residents of our neighbors. It is estimated that more than 2.6 billion dollars could enter the fiscal coffers. Surely some leaders will oppose and defend their interests with social outbursts.

In the past, governments did not dare. Perhaps this young Daniel Noboa has the strength and ability to make a difficult decision. Part of the solution lies in this measure. The people must be informed, understand and support if the Government dares. (OR)