For her contribution to today's press conference, the UDP's Area Representative for the Albert Division, Tracy Panton focused on the news that government departments within Briceno Administration are switching over to Smart as their primary telecommunications provider.
We've aired a memo showing that the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour, and Local Government had switched to brand new Smart post-paid numbers. We understand that other government departments are being pushed to follow suit - and that SMART representatives had even been allowed to make a presentation to Cabinet.
Today, Tracy Panton made the case that this is nepotism because the Prime Minister's family - are the co-owners of Smart. Here's how she explained why:
Hon. Tracy Taegar-Panton - UDP Rep, Collet
"I was asked by the Party Leader to speak on this imminent move, this move that's afoot for the Government of Belize to transfer its telecommunications provider from BTL to Smart. Need I remind that you that it was in the 1998 to 2003 government administration that was led by Said Musa that the national interest of our utility companies, both BTL and BEL, was removed from the people of Belize and put in the hands of private interests. In 2009, under the Barrow-led UDP Administration, there was every effort taken to put the shares of BTL and BEL in the hands of our national purse. Let me say that in the case of BTL, 49% of the shares are owned by the Government of Belize. That is our taxpayers' dollars that have been invested. Another 34% have been invested by SSB. That, my friends, are our Social Security contributions that have been invested. And another 8% from the Central Bank of Belize. Whatever proceeds we get from our foreign exchange earnings, some of that has been invested in BTL. That is 91% of the shares that belong to the Belizean people. I say to you that this move is the most - in my humble view - egregious display of nepotism by this current Government, this Blue Government, this PUP government. It's also an assault on nationalism."
