And tonight there is another minister urging caution with the proposed acquisition.
Today on San Pedro we asked Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler if his Eastern Caucus - would fall in line behind the northern caucus and publicly endorse the acquisition.
He was definitely lukewarm that - and seemed to throw a slight jab at the PM when he said, "I would have handled it differently":
Reporter:
"Would you support any endorsement of the acquisition from the Eastern Caucus of the PUP?"
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism
"I don't think that is for the eastern caucus to do there is a lot more consultation to be had and then we see where it goes from there but I think the people are speaking loudly and I'm sure the prime minister will make the right decision on behalf of the country and the people of this nation."
Reporter:
"The PUP is taking a political hammering because of the proposed acquisition. The NTUCB, the Chamber of Commerce, the Independent Senators, the National Evangelical Association have all spoken out against it. Is it really worth the loss in political popularity?"
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism
"Only time will tell. I would have made a different decision. I would have approached the entire thing differently. But we will see what the final decision is. I have no play in BTL or how that moves but I hope sensible minds prevail and they make the right decision."
