But despite the shrill pitch of Cardona's delivery - the Prime Minister says, by failing to take a stand either in favor or against the bill, Cardona had done himself a disservice...
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"To say that you are absolutely opposed, but then to say, 'I won't vote against it,' because you know that if you do, since you were elected on a United Democratic Party ticket, you'll have to lose your seat and face a bi-election, then Mr. Speaker, exposes to the Belizean people that they can't take anything that he said before seriously. Because if all that he said was true, why would he not have had the courage to say, 'This is so wrong, that history will absolve me.' Well he is no Fidel, why would he not have had the courage to say, 'Look, I'm prepared to face the electorate again. I'm prepared to lose my seat, and perhaps not win again, because this is as outrageous as I say it is. And I will become some kind of Belizean Hero, because I will demonstrate that I follow my convictions - so fundamental that conviction is.' He didn't do that, and I think right away he exposes himself to the Belizean People."
In closing, The Prime Minister also went after PUP leader John Briceno, whose family he says has the Ashcroft Alliance as business partner in Speednet. The PM says and showed proof from the companies register that Ashcroft affiliated companies own 70% of Speednet - the parent company for SMART:
Prime Minister
"To the same Ashcroft Alliance, that ended up giving the Ashcroft Alliance, 77% ownership of Speednet. Remember when they said it, when Jaime got 6 million dollars, and Renan got 1.9 million dollars. So, they turned millionaire off Ashcroft, so where do you expect do the Leader of the Opposition's interests to be. So he could not stand up in front of the public here today and speak in support of the bill, and against Ashcroft, because he is absolutely a prisoner of the Ashcroft Alliance. He is owned; he is politically bought and paid for by the Ashcroft Alliance."
The leader of the opposition will have his say when the party has a press conference outlining its position on Wednesday.
