Some people have expressed the opinion that the acquisition of Telemedia by the government of Belize was incomplete since it still left the door open for the British Billionaire to mount another serious confrontation in the telecommunications industry. They suggest that Herades left one head of the hydra monster alive and well, and this head will multiply and create havoc once more.
While I can identify with that concern, we must recognize that Smart was not involved in the mountain of legal troubles that Ashcroft was saddling the government with, which represented a clear threat to the stability of our country. If the government would have included this other tentacle, then the Act would have come across as other than bringing resolution to an insurmountable quandary and more like a vendetta. I think Prime Minister Barrow gave government’s action good and proper thought.
With Smart still pretty much involved in the lucrative industry of telecommunications, many suspected the first blow would have come from deep within the belly of the same BTL building that houses this fledgling, and now real, competitor. The first blow would have been a rate war, we assumed, intended to weaken the BTL giant with reduced revenues and a mass migration of phone and internet users to Smart. But we heard nothing, nada, from the gentleman from England. Well, at least, not from that angle. He went straight for the jugular, to the very halls of Belmopan.
The two PUP senators that were appointed in 2008 to serve a 30-month term in the Upper House were unceremoniously replaced a year before the end of their term so as to make way for two new representatives of the People’s United Party. These two latter high-ranking PUP’s are well known and are related in two ways; Social Security funds and the Billionaire. They have a common bond, if you catch my drift.
The British broker chose to make a political power play rather than a business one. He flexed his muscles within the PUP and convinced the Party Leader to appoint “friendly” Senators no matter the consequences that inevitably would have ensued. Now we hear of standing PUP’s, and the deposed Senators themselves, saying that they were not only dissatisfied with the move by Briceño, they were utterly angry with the Party leadership. There was no consultation, and no discussion with anyone, it would seem, since many within the PUP were more surprised than annoyed with this imprudent announcement by their Party Leader.
But that’s an internal PUP problem; to settle their differences and anger within the confines of the public media and private offices. The alarming concern arising out of the recent appointments is the absolute power that the wealthy businessman wields within one of the major political parties in our country. The PUP leadership must have known how angrily their supporters would have reacted. They must have realized that such a move would have made obvious the fact that the PUP is under the total control of one man and not the elected representative. The fight is getting ugly, and we will hear a lot more threats and cursing about this latest action.
Then again, I predict that PUP’s ranking members will stop railing within a few weeks and throw full support for the two new Senatorial picks, you will see. They forgive and forget anything very easily, the PUP’s do. I say this because on Tuesday morning a caller on Love, definitely a well-connected PUP, went to great pains to lavish Musa with praise, saying that he is a great man. I never thought I would hear those words, at least not so soon. I’ll be damned!
