As we've been showing you since the top of the newscast - today, in Orange Walk, the media squeezed in an interview with the Prime Minister as he shuttled between events in his Orange Walk Central Constituency.
But, the PM was combative when we asked him about recent developments in the cable industry involving another of his family's companies, Centaur Cable. That company - which disseminates virtually all cable signals from the Haulover bridge to the Santa Elena border in Corozal, ecently formed a consortium with Central Television and Internet to acquire Southern Cable Network, cementing a something just short of national cable monopoly, from Toledo to Corozal.
That's a business move with its own implications in the cable, television and telecoms industry - but it also raises an issue for the Prime Minister. He's the Minister with responsibility for Broadcasting - which is regulated by the Broadcasting Authority - which he appoints. We asked him about the appearance of a conflict of interest and he snapped back:
Jules Vasquez:
"We have a national cable monopoly and your family owned company Centaur is a very big part of this, especially now that they have a consortium of two companies, including centaur, has taken over cable in the south, so really cable has turned into a national monopoly and you operating in your family company, the other one, Speednet, operating a duopoly, you know how important competition is in phone services, there is not that in cable now, do you think it is time that you should recuse yourself as minister of broadcasting since these companies are family owned and they control cable in the company?"
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I don't remember you objecting when we bought over your father's company here in Orange Walk because it was a part of our strategy in trying to be able to be financially viable, you need to have numbers, you have to grow the number of customers and that is what we have been doing, but doing that then it also allows us as a company, Centaur, to be able to provide a better service that we have more cash flows to be able to invest because it requires a heavy investment but I think what you forget to point out and I think deliberately is that cable is as you know, you were on the board for many years, that cable is an industry is regulated so it's not that you can tomorrow do as you wish, you have to get the approval of the regulator, which is the broadcasting authority, secondly also what difference can I have, you know the BBA, you know how it works, so for you to try to create that, again your usual self trying to be mischievous over something that doesn't exist. In many instances we could accuse you of having a manifest conflict."
Jules Vasquez:
"But I don't hold a public position."
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"But you do as being one of the owners because I know you have other owners that you refuse to disclose, you also have quote and unquote, passing on education."
Jules Vasquez:
"Sir you are the prime minister."
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"But you also have a responsibility to the Belizean people to be able to be fair at all times and truthful. Well, that's debatable. But again if you can point out at any time that I have done anything to be able to be in the interest of my family, I challenge you to show it."
We note that Centaur Cable acquired the Tropical Vision owned Northern Cable Network 8 years ago, when PM Briceno was leader of the opposition, not minister with responsibility for broadcasting.
