But first, back to the House sitting. While more than a thousand protestors gathered outside, inside the members gathered to discuss mainly the BTL Vesting Bill, a piece of legislation that the Opposition has characterized as special interest lawmaking written by and passed into law for BTL's majority shareholder Michael Ashcroft. And while the debate over that would dominate the day, the news is that there were no outbursts from the Opposition, as decorum and proper parliamentary conduct was in effect.
And in a sense it had to after the House meeting started on a surprising note as the Speaker of the House opened with a personal statement, which most of us could hardly hear thanks to the siccada-like din of hundreds of whistles being blown by protestors outside.
Elizabeth Zabaneh, Speaker of the House
"This has been a very difficult week for me. When I was asked to be the Speaker of the House it was okay for both sides. I have tried to be the best that I can do. I was proud to serve my country in this capacity, not really realizing the difficulties it really takes for a referee to have the games played properly especially when players do not respect the rules. I have acted with
restraint, yes, very many times I could have done differently.
I have even been accused of not knowing the standing orders. I would like to say that I interpret them as I can with guidance. If I have acted, if I am not going to say wrongly, but if I had made maybe decisions that didn't go the way of some people, I will not beg forgiveness because that is the way I thought it should have been done.
There has been some derogatory remarks thrown at me. I have been accused of trying or let's do something good for once, forget family. Well may I tell you that I did not pick my family but I am certainly proud of the family to which I belong. A member called me a most derogatory remark, that's okay. That's ok. Jane Usher is not that. And I just read in the Reporter where, I would want to say, an irresponsible reporter, referred that I could very well be called something else tomorrow. Well that is okay too because I am also not.
Let us now put ourselves in the presence of God, if those of you that are on this side of the House, can really find yourselves in the presence of God."
Hon. Michael Finnegan, Mesopotamia Area Rep.
"You refer to an interview, not calling my name, that I made to the television station. Madam Speaker that was done in a heat of moment. I want to sincerely apologize to you. Madam Speaker you are not deserving of those remarks. Your family is not deserving of those remarks as far as I am concerned. I did not even remember that that interview was done until I saw it the night on television. But Madam Speaker having said that, all I ask of you is to interpret
the standing orders of this House in a fair and impartial way and not to treat the puppy like a dog."
But that puppy would bark like a dog later on when the Prime Minister presented the BTL Vesting Bill.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Prime Minister
"The constitution of BTL has proved in recent years not only to be totally out of date but large sections of BTL's Articles of Association being of a historical nature and no longer suitable or relevant to the company but has been used in certain quarters to facilitate a legal quagmire which has created too much uncertainty and has created the company's development and stability in the telecommunications industry.
The essence of this bill that I would want to emphasize today, to make clear, because of certain statements that have been made, is two fold. One is that the bill in no way affects the rights of the minority shareholders of BTL. What the bill does do, yes, is to take away any special privileged rights and one class of rights are being created but all the rights of the union members in this country who have shares in BTL are in no way affected. The second point I would wish to make is that the legal position is, as I've been advised, is that when the same shareholders are taking over an entity by a vesting instrument, the stamp duty is not attracted."
Hon. Patrick Faber, Collet Area Rep.
"If ever there was an example of being a lickey and crony and a puppet, this bill is one such example. This bill is the quintessential example of that Madam Speaker and so we want to make it clear from that onset that this is being done in order to satisfy Michael Ashcroft so that the Belize Bank would settle
with $29 million being paid and all the other details of that loan motion to go through. Madam Speaker, I have to laugh Madam Speaker because if you don't laugh you'll cry in here.
Overwhelming the unions say they are still coming to Belmopan, the reason they are out there now today partially is because of this same Vesting Bill. They have said that they do not trust the actions of this Prime Minister. They do not trust the actions of this government and so they have come here today to demonstrate against this Vesting Bill. That is why they are out there Madam Speaker."
Hon. Michael Finnegan,
"Mr. Ashcroft is the biggest player in terms of investment in this country and Michael Finnegan as representative in this Honorable House also has respect for Mr. Ashcroft as a bonafide investor in this country. But when the government is prepared to play games and try to drive another investor away and stifle the rights of another investor, having no regards for the ruling of the Supreme Court in order to favor another investor, which is Mr. Ashcroft, then Madam Speaker, I will have to stand in this Honorable House and say what the government is doing is wrong, what the government is doing is immoral, what the government is doing is disgusting, what the government is doing is illegal, what the government is doing is slapping the palm of its hand into the face of the Chief Justice of this country Madam Speaker and I have to stand here and condemn it."
Hon. Dean Barrow, Opposition Leader
"I have not sought any personal quarrel with Michael Ashcroft. I have not sought to distance my firm with respect to the professional relationship but I have made it absolutely clear, that relationship will stand in the way of my first obligation which is to my party, which is to this Honorable House, and which is to the people of this country. Let there therefore be absolutely
no doubt about this issue, I stand with Belize. I don't want to stand against anyone but when standing for Belize involves standing against Michael Ashcroft, I will proudly stand and continue to stand.
How come that there was an agreement already made commercially for the transfer of the assets of BTL to Belize Telemedia Limited and none of us in the public ever knew about this? And why on earth does BTL and Belize Telemedia Limited, not just conclude this commercial agreement as a matter of private law, as a matter of a commercial undertaking? Are we being asked, apart from the question of constitutionality to sanction an agreement that is null and void? Are we being asked to sanction a commercial agreement that is invalid? Are we being asked to sanction a commercial agreement that is illegal?
Madam Speaker I listened to the Prime Minister say yesterday to the nation, via an interview with Channel 5, that he is not a monster. But he continues to do monstrous things. Why are we being asked to vote for a bill which legislates an agreement that we are not allowed to see? The same Prime Minister who refused to let us have the sight of the loan note and the guarantee that were involved in the motion he has now been forced to withdraw, continues to act in this fashion Madam Speaker? Is it that 2005 never happened? Is it that when the unions and the people of this country had jacked up against the wall and he promised reform that he is so monstrous that he cannot keep a basic promise like that?
No stamp duty, no taxes of any kind will be paid as a consequence of this transaction. My goodness Madam Speaker. If you will try to prostitute the people of Belize, if you would try to prostitute the National Assembly, so that it does the bidding of the majority shareholder of Michael Ashcroft, at least get paid -at least. Let the people of this country collect at least the taxes Madam Speaker and don't tell us any nonsense about it's a transfer of shares from one person to the same person, the very schedule of the act tells you there are all sorts of real estate, there is any number of fixed assets that are being transferred and those fixed assets attract stamp duty and what the government is doing is actually wavering, deliberately consciously waving the collection of the legitimate revenue for the people of this country that ought to go into the consolidated fund.
I remember a time indeed when he was not a monster. I remember the days of PAC and UBAD and RAM. How did it get to this Prime Minister? You know Madam Speaker at the of the day all of us who serve in public life can leave with only one thing, our reputation and our good name in tact, the legacy of this Prime Minister will be a name that is spat upon and shot upon by the people of this country as a consequence of this sort of thing."
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"But we've heard a lot from the other side casting aspersions, I've even been called a monster by implication, and clear suggestions were made that
somehow this Prime Minister, whether as a lawyer or otherwise, stands to benefit from this action in, as they put it, for Michael Ashcroft. So I need to clear that up Madam Speaker because history shows since 1998 when I became the Prime Minister of this country, no Michael Ashcroft has been able to govern, run, or dominate me as the Prime Minister or anybody in this party.
But I can assure this Honorable House that there is absolutely no protection of special interest on this matter. What we're doing Madam Speaker is in order to protect a vital important industry for this country, to maintain stability in this country. And I should say as regards the highly technical point that the Leader of the Opposition made, you he started out that this thing is illegal, its unconstitutional, its immoral. Well those are nice sounding words, pontificating like that, but where is the evidence. Yes he is a good lawyer but we are not in a court of law today. We are not in a law. We need to look at what is the objective here and I am fully satisfied that we are not doing anything illegal."
Hon. Ralph Fonseca, Minister of Home Affairs & Public Utilities
"I really want to move away from the question of personalities and I think the Leader of the Opposition knows that. But how can I sit here when I know that on Thursday, Thursday of next week the Leader of the Opposition's
firm will be representing against Prosser in this exact same matter in the courts of Belize? Why does the Leader of the Opposition not make reference to that? What we are talking about here is extreme hypocrisy."
Hon. Dean Barrow,
"Nobody from Interpol ever asked about my accounts in Montevideo and Paraguay and Canada and Panama."
Hon. Ralph Fonseca,
"Madam Speaker I've had many appeals made to me, because of my position, to look into the Leader of the Opposition's financial matters so if we want to get into those details we can do that."
Hon. Dean Barrow,
"….Unlike you I am not a thief."
Hon. Ralph Fonseca,
"The truth of the matter is, and what they are trying to distract Belizeans from, is that we have two elephants that are fighting and we know when elephants fight or make love, it is the grass below them that gets trampled and it is markets that are getting trampled while these two elephants are fighting. We want to settle that down. It is as simple as that. In other words, what we are talking about here is a government that is sincere about trying to move the telecommunication industry forward, that is sincere in trying to stabilize the telecommunications industry. No one can doubt that the industry is in turmoil. If in fact, as the Leader of the Opposition says, he might be right, there is some problem with this legislation, then they have all rights to go to court."
Hon. Anthony 'Boots' Martinez, Port Loyola Area Rep.
"Who created those elephants? Who brought Prosser? The Prime Minister
Madam Speaker even got before this National Assembly and was asked in a question has the money for BTL been paid for and the Prime Minister got up and lied to this Honorable House and said yes when the money was never paid. That is the truth and it is recorded in this National Assembly."
Elizabeth Zabaneh,
"That is a severe accusation Sir."
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"I do object to that and ask the member…"
Hon. Anthony 'Boots' Martinez,
"I am sorry about the word, the Prime Minister was being untruthful to this nation."
And after all that heated back and forth, the government moved to pass the controversial Vesting Bill. And while it passed easily, the UDP asked for a division - which means every member had to state his vote, and when it came to the backbench.
National Assembly Clerk: 'Hon Jose Coye'
Jose Coye: 'Yes.'
National Assembly Clerk: 'Hon. Michael Espat'
Mike Espat: 'Yes'
National Assembly Clerk: 'Hon. Mark Espat'
Mark Espat: 'Abstain'
National Assembly Clerk:: 'Hon. Cordel Hyde'
Cordel Hyde: 'Abstain'
As you saw there, by abstaining, Espat and Hyde did not support the Vesting Bill, which in the eyes of a political directorate now dominated by hardline hawks, is just about as bad as voting no.
Informed speculation says that today's vote makes it that much harder for them to get back into the Cabinet. Our reports say that also in the Cabinet bad books is Deputy Prime Minister John Briceno who threatened to resign over the Universal Bill earlier this week. The word in the upper circles of the PUP is that he may be punished for what the Prime Minister sees as disloyalty in a Cabinet shake-up rumored for next week. We'll see how that goes.
