Should BTL's proposed acquisition of Speednet go to public consultations? That's the question that remains after the vote was deferred. The chairman has stated that he doesn't believe the public needs to have a say, since he says that BTL is a private company. The public doesn't agree, but what about the government? We asked a few ministers for their opinions, and Courtney Menzies has this story.
The proposed acquisition of Speednet is on hold - with the vote deferred until further notice. And while it's not completely off the table, will BTL now hold public consultations?
They hadn't even informed the public about the deal initially - and when the question was put to chairman Mark Lizarraga, he said they didn't have to.
Friday January 09
Mark Lizarraga, Chairman - BTL Board
"We sit here and we make decisions in the best interests of the company. We don't make national policy. We don't make national policy. We make policies here. We make decisions that are in the best interests of this company and its shareholders."
"This is a private company. So the decisions that we make here not necessarily need public consultations."
But while the BTL chairman wanted urgently to push ahead without consultation, at least 3 ministers have come forward to say that it's a matter that does require public engagement.
Monday January 12
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration
"I've heard the remarks of the chairman of BTL saying that it's a private company, but as you rightly pointed out, it is a government-owned private company. And so I believe that we should be very upfront in terms of the information, not just to Cabinet, but to the wider public, in terms of disclosure, in terms of all of the nuts and bolts. This is a very significant merger, a significant acquisition, I believe a total of 170 million. And so there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. And so I think that publicly presenting that to get the buy-in from the public is vital."
Tuesday, January 13
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transport
"Would you agree that this needs to go to public consultation? Well, I believe that's something of this nature, you know. Consultation is the heart of our modern democracy."
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
"Yeah, I think the more transparency there is, the more public consultation there is, I think that's better for everyone involved."
More consultation on an acquisition which would forever change the telecoms landscape:
Jaleeza Roberts:
"And do you support the re-establishment of a telecoms monopoly in Belize, even if it flouts the telecommunications act?"
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transport
"No, well, for me, as an economist, I see um, I can technically analyze the pros and the cons of whether or not you should have a monopoly in different sectors. That would take some time for us to sit and discuss and not just passing by like that."
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
"I think, you know, I think that we We certainly are in support of competition. But again, I think we need a presentation. If there's going to be a presentation, we'll wait to get that presentation. And once we receive that, then we'll be in a position to make a firm comment on it."
Tracy Panton, LOO
"At this point we do not support a monopoly, and we certainly do not support a monopoly that includes providing a golden parachute for the Dying cable sector."
And the man pushing for a monopoly now has a date pending with Cabinet and also possibly the opposition:
Tracy Panton, LOO
"I also will report here that the chairman of BTL is now scrambling to meet with the opposition. And I say and I told him I would speak to the team and get back with him. Why do you want to have the conversation now after your hand was caught in the cookie jar? Tell us what the deal was prior to getting here."
And that is the challenge now for the BTL chairman who has led the negotiation - can he still get the deal done while swimming upstream against political and public opinion?
BTL is expected to make a presentation to Cabinet next week, as they reportedly did to the NTUCB and SSB this week. Critics note that these are the same consultations which were not held before it was taken to the board for a vote - which is why at least one director, Chandra Nisbet Cansino resigned. The vote eventually had to be deferred.
