The PUP held a National Party Council meeting in Belmopan on Sunday. And while this is usually a closed gathering for senior party members and executive members, Sunday's event was opened up to all party supporters.
And that's probably because the party is emerging from the Speednet acquisition dust-up badly bruised- and it is trying to convince followers that they were experiencing turbulence, not a tailspin.
And now that the acquisition is on pause? Here's how Deputy Leader Cordel Hyde put it.
Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister
"For the first time since we won in 2020, we have a bit of a set-up. We have a stumbling going on, right? Because as you know, we were rolling. A year ago we were flying high. A couple months ago, we were flying sky high. Sky high. And then all this talk about the proposed acquisition of Smart came about, and then things get serious. Things get serious."
"And circumstances suddenly change on us. Listen, I will not lie to you all, when the prime minister, when it was announced that the prime minister press the pause button on the acquisition, me mi happy, happy, happy, happy, happy. You all tell the truth? You all wasn't happy too? Tell the truth man!"
"The pass, that's PUP at its best. What was happening before, we don't knopw what is that. That is not PUP. The past is PUP at its best. Because what the pass allows us to do now is to make sure that there is real, genuine consultation with the people of Belize on this issue, so that the technical people from BTL can go all across this country. Go to the schools, go to UB, go to the community centers, all across the country, and talk to our people in a cordial way, in an honest way, in our open way, in a friendly way, and take their time doing it with no gun on nobody head."
"And after a couple months of consultation, if the people is not with it, then BTL will have to take a chill pill, you know. They will have to take a chill pill, they will have a shelf it. Because, ultimately, it's the people of Belize who owns the company. It's not Mr. Lizarraga, it's not the board of BTL, it's the people of Belize."
The NPC adopted four resolutions, but the one that stood out was the one Deputy Hyde spoke of, endorsing the pause in BTL-Speednet/Smart Acquisition Talks.
The language is certainly worth noting as it contradicts what the Prime Minister and the BTLExecutives have been doing - which is to push the acquisition.
It, quote, "reaffirms that competition, innovation, and consumer protection are the cornerstones of a healthy telecommunications sector, and that any consolidation must demonstrably serve the Belizean people, not merely the commercial interests of shareholders." This again confirms what Hyde was saying, that the acquisition will not be a fiduciary decision - as the Prime Minister has insisted it must be - but it's now - as Hyde framed it - "the people's decision."
Notably absent from the NPC meeting was Kareem Musa - who was reported to be at a mobile passport hub event in Houston and Julius Espat - the area rep for Cayo South - neighbor to Belmopan. He told us, quote, "It was my birthday weekend, so I spent precious time with my family."
